XN000022-1983-09-14 — Page 2

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1983

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MORE PEOPLE BEING EMPLOYED HERE *****

THE UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT SITUATION CONTINUES TO IMPROVE, ACCORDING TO THE LABOUR FORCE STATISTICS RELEASED TODAY BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT FOR THE QUARTER MAY JULY 1983, OBTAINED FROM THE GENERAL HOUSEHOLD SURVEY.

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THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR THE QUARTER MAY- JULY 1983 WAS 3.9 PER CENT WHICH COMPARES FAVOURABLY WITH 5.2 PER CENT FOR THE PREVIOUS QUARTER ENDING APRIL 1983 AND 4.4 PER CENT FOR APRIL - JUNE 1983.

JUNE 1983. THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR THE QUARTER ENDING JULY LAST YEAR WAS 3.3 PER CENT.

THE NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED PERSONS IN THE QUARTER ENDING JULY 1983 WAS PROVISIONALLY ESTIMATED TO BE 99 000, AS COMPARED WITH 128 900 FOR THE PREVIOUS QUARTER, AND 82 400 FOR THE SAME QUARTER LAST YEAR.

THE UNDEREMPLOYMENT RATE FOR THE QUARTER ENDING JULY 1983 WAS ESTIMATED TO BE 1.7 PER CENT, WHICH WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN THAT RECORDED FOR THE QUARTER ENDING APRIL 1983, AT 2.4 PER CENT. THE PROVISIONAL ESTIMATE OF THE NUMBER OF UNDEREMPLOYED PERSONS WAS 42 000 FOR THE QUARTER ENDING JULY, AS COMPARED WITH 61 200 FOR THE PREVIOUS QUARTER.

CONSISTENT WITH THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION, PERSONS WHO WORKED LESS THAN 35 HOURS A WEEK WERE REGARDED AS UNDEREMPLOYED ONLY IF THEY WERE SEEKING MORE WORK OR WERE NOT SEEKING MORE WORK BECAUSE THEY BELIEVED MORE WORK WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

IN COMMENTING UPON THESE FIGURES, THE COMMISSIONER FOR CENSUS AND STATISTICS SAID THAT BECAUSE THE PROPORTION OF FIRST-TIME JOB- SEEKERS (E.G. PEOPLE WHO HAVE JUST LEFT SCHOOL) VARIES FROM MONTH TO MONTH, THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATES SEASONALLY ADJUSTED FOR THE VARIATIONS IN FIRST-TIME JOB-SEEKERS SHOULD BE USED IN MAKING COMPARISONS OVER TIME. THE UNADJUSTED UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR THE QUARTER ENDING JULY 1983 WAS 4.0 PER CENT.

THE UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT STATISTICS WERE OBTAINED FROM A CONTINUOUS GENERAL HOUSEHOLD SURVEY CONDUCTED BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT. THIS SURVEY COVERS A QUARTERLY SAMPLE OF SOME 15 000 HOUSEHOLDS OR 55 000 PERSONS, SELECTED SCIENTIFICALLY TO REPRESENT THE LAND-BASED CIVILIAN NON-INSTITUTIONAL POPULATION IN HONG KONG. PERSONAL AND LABOUR FORCE DATA WERE OBTAINED IN THE SURVEY BY INTERVIEWING EACH INDIVIDUAL MEMBER IN THE HOUSEHOLDS SAMPLED.

DETAILED ANALYSIS OF THE LABOUR FORCE CHARACTER ISTICS IS GIVEN IN THE REPORT OF THE GENERAL HOUSEHOLD SURVEY WHICH IS PUBLISHED FOUR TIMES A YEAR. THE REPORT COVERING THE QUARTER ENDING JUNE 1983 SHOULD BE ON SALE AT THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS CENTRE LATER THIS MONTH. ENQUIRIES CONCERNING STATISTICS ON THE LABOUR FORCE MAY BE DIRECTED TO THE GENERAL HOUSEHOLD SURVEY SECTION OF THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT (TEL. NO. 5-452586).

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