XN000022-1983-06-17 — Page 2

FRIDAY, JUNE 17, 1983

ORDERS-ON-HAND CONTINUE TO RISE

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THE AVERAGE VOLUME OF ORDERS-ON-HAND (IN TERMS OF MONTHS) CONTINUED TO INCREASE IN APRIL THIS YEAR ACCORDING TO THE MANUFACTURERS SURVEYED BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

COMPARED WITH THE PRECEDING MONTH, THE MOST SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT OCCURRED IN THE PLASTIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRY.FOLLOWED BY THE FABRICATED METAL PRODUCTS, ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS AND WEARING APPAREL INDUSTRIES, THE DEPARTMENT

WEARING_APPAREL REPORTED TODAY, IN RELEASING STATISTICS FROM THE MONTHLY SURVEY OF EMPLOYMENT, PAYROLL AND ORDERS-ON-HAND FOR APRIL.

TAKING ALL THE MANUFACTURERS SURVEYED AS A WHOLE, EMPLOYMENT REMAINED RELATIVELY STABLE IN APRIL, COMPARED WITH THE PRECEDING MONTH. EMPLOYMENT IN THE FOOD AND DRINKS, FABRICATED METAL PRODUCTS AND ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRIES SHOWED SLIGHT INCREASES, WHILE THAT IN THE PLASTIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRY AND THE OTHERS+ CATEGORY OF THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR RECORDED SLIGHT DECLINES.

PAYROLL AND PER CAPITA EARNINGS ROSE SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRY, FOLLOWED BY THE FOOD AND DRINKS AND TEXTILES INDUSTRIES. SLIGHT INCREASES WERE ALSO RECORDED IN THE PLASTIC PRODUCTS AND THE OTHERS+ CATEGORY OF THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR. IN GENERAL, THE INCREASES WERE DUE TO WAGE AND SALARY ADJUSTMENTS, AND MORE OVERTIME WORK.

IN THE CONSTRUCTION SECTOR, EMPLOYMENT DECLINED FOLLOWING THE RETRENCHMENT OF EMPLOYEES BY SEVERAL COMPANIES AFTER THE COMPLETION OF SOME CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS. PAYROLL AND PER CAPITA EARNINGS INCREASE CORRESPONDINGLY FOLLOWING THE AWARD OF SEVERANCE PAY.

IN THE SERVICES SECTOR, PAYROLL AND PER CAPITA EARNINGS ROSE GENERALLY ON ACCOUNT OF WAGE AND SALARY ADJUSTMENTS AND THE ISSUE OF BONUSES BY SEVERAL COMPANIES FOLLOWING THE END OF THE FINANCIAL YEAR IN MARCH.

THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF DAYS WORKED PER WEEK BY OPERATIVES REMAINED THE SAME IN MOST INDUSTRIES BUT INCREASED SLIGHTLY IN THE PLASTIC PRODUCTS AND FABRICATED METAL PRODUCTS INDUSTRIES ON ACCOUNT OF MORE ORDERS-ON-HAND.

THE PERCENTAGE CHANGES IN EMPLOYMENT, PER CAPITA EARNINGS AND ORDERS-ON-HAND FOR THE LAST THREE MONTHS ARE SHOWN IN THE ACCOMPANYING TABLE.

IN RELEASING THE SURVEY RESULTS, THE DEPARTMENT POINTED OUT THAT THE SURVEY COVERED A PANEL OF THE 200 LARGEST MANUFACTURING COMPANIES (CHOSEN BY REFERENCE TO THEIR EMPLOYMENT SIZE IN SEPTEMBER 1979) AND THE 43 LARGEST COMPANIES IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND SELECTED SERVICES SECTORS.

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