XN000022-1983-01-20 — Page 7

THURSDAY

ARY 20,

6

QUARTERLY SURVEY OF WAGES. SALARIES AND BL

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FROM 1964 TILL MARCH 1982. THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT COMPILED AND PUBLISHED WAGE INDEXES TO MEAS! THE CHANGES IN WAGE RATES OF MANUAL WORKERS IN THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR, BASED ON FINDINGS OF A HALF-YEARLY WAGE SURVEY.

IN THE SIX-MONTH PERIOD BETWEEN SEPTEMBER 1981 AND MARCH 1982, THE NOMINAL WAGE INDEX, FOR THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR, INCLUDING FRINGE BENEFITS, INCREASED BY EIGHT PER CENT.

THE REAL WAGE INDEX INCREASED BY 1.5 PER CENT DURING THE SAME PERIOD.

IN MARCH 1982, A NEW QUARTERLY SURVEY OF WAGES, SALARIES AND EMPLOYEE BENEFITS WAS INTRODUCED, REPLACING THE HALF-YEARLY WAGE SURVEY, AND INCORPORATING A NUMBER OF IMPROVEMENTS.

THESE IMPROVEMENTS INCLUDE THE COLLECTION OF STATISTICS ON WAGE RATES AT MORE FREQUENT INTERVALS AND THE USE OF A LARGER SAMPLE OF ABOUT 2 000 ESTABLISHMENTS TO ACHIEVE A HIGHER DEGREE OF PRECISION IN THE ESTIMATES FOR EACH INDUSTRY COVERED, AS WELL AS AN EXTENSION IN COVERAGE TO INCLUDE THE NON-MANUFACTURING SECTORS AND NON-MANUAL WORKERS SO AS TO MAKE THE STATISTICS MORE REPRESENTATIVE.

EMPLOYEES AT THE ADMINISTRATIVE AND PROFESSIONAL LEVELS ARE, HOWEVER, STILL EXCLUDED.

BASED ON THE FINDINGS OF THE NEW SURVEY, A NOMINAL WAGE INDEX AND A REAL WAGE INDEX WERE COMPILED.

THESE WAGE INDEXES MEASURE THE CHANGES IN WAGE RATES BY HOLDING THE STRUCTURAL PATTERN OF THE LABOUR FORCE WITH RESPECT TO INDUSTRY, OCCUPATION, SEX AND MODE OF PAYMENT THE SAME AS THAT OF MARCH 1982, WHICH IS THE BASE PERIOD OF THE WAGE INDEXES. WHILE THE NOMINAL WAGE INDEX MEASURES THE CHANGES IN WAGE RATES IN MONEY TERMS, THE REAL WAGE INDEX, WHICH IS OBTAINED BY DEFLATING THE NOMINAL WAGE INDEX BY THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX (A), MEASURES THE CHANGES IN THE PURCHASING POWER OF THE AMOUNT OF MONEY EARNED.

APART FROM BASIC WAGES AND SALARIES, WAGE RATE IS DEFINED TO INCLUDE ALSO COST-OF-LIVING ALLOWANCE, MEAL BENEFITS, COMMISSION AND TIPS, GOOD ATTENDANCE BONUS, NIGHT SHIFT ALLOWANCE, YEAR-END BONUS AND OTHER GUARANTEED AND REGULAR BONUSES AND ALLOWANCES.

THE OVERALL NOMINAL WAGE INDEX WAS 102 FOR JUNE 1982 AND 103 FOR SEPTEMBER 1982. THE INDEX FOR SEPTEMBER 1982 THUS SHOWED INCREASES OF ONE PER CENT WHEN COMPARED WITH JUNE 1982, AND OF THREE PER CENT WHEN COMPARED 1TH MARCH 1982.

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