XN000022-1984-04-04 — Page 6

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 1984

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STEADY DECLINE IN UNDEREMPLOYMENT

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THE NUMBER OF UNDEREMPLOYED WORKERS IN HONG KONG DECLINED STEADILY THROUGHOUT LAST YEAR, ACCORDING TO THE LATEST HOUSEHOLD SURVEY CONDUCTED BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

THE FIGURE DROPPED FROM ABOUT 63 000 IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF THE YEAR TO ABOUT 39 000 IN THE FOURTH, ACCOUNTING FOR 2.5 AND 1.4 PER CENT OF HONG KONG'S TOTAL LABOUR FORCE.

IN ITS ESTIMATION OF UNDEREMPLOYMENT, THE DEPARTMENT IS FOLLOWING CRITERIA CONSISTENT WITH THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION, WHICH DEFINES UNDEREMPLOYED PEOPLE AS THOSE WORKING LESS THAN 35 HOURS A WEEK BECAUSE THEY CANNOT FIND MORE WORK OR ARE NOT SEEKING MORE WORK IN THE BELIEF THAT NONE IS AVAILABLE.

+THIS QUALIFICATION IS NECESSARY AS AT ANY GIVEN TIME THERE WILL BE A PROPORTION OF THE LABOUR FORCE WHO ARE ON LEAVE OR ENGAGED IN PART-TIME JOBS VOLUNTARILY, OR WHO ARE SICK, UNAVAILABLE FOR ADDITIONAL WORK OR UNWILLING TO WORK LONGER HOURS,+ A SPOKESMAN FOR THE DEPARTMENT EXPLAINED,

THE ESTIMATED NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES WORKING SHORT HOURS BECAUSE OF SLACK WORK ALSO, DIPPED SHARPLY, FROM ABOUT 60 000 IN THE FIRST QUARTER TO ABOUT 40 000 IN THE FOURTH, REPRESENTING ONLY 20 TO 25 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL NUMBER OF PEOPLE WORKING LESS THAN 35 HOURS A WEEK.

+THESE NUMBERS ARE CLOSE TO THOSE COMPILED ON THE BASIS OF THE ILO DEFINITION AND MAY BE SEEN AS AN ALTERNATIVE INDICATOR OF UNDEREMPLOYMENT, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

ABOUT 90 000 WORKERS REPORTED THAT THEIR USUAL WORK HOURS WERE BELOW 35 A WEEK, AND ABOUT THREE QUARTERS OF THESE WORKERS WERE FEMALES, 80 PER CENT OF WHOM EITHER WERE OR HAD BEEN MARRIED.

FOR VARIOUS REASONS, NOTABLY VACATION, THE TOTAL NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES WORKING SHORT HOURS LAST YEAR VARIED FROM ABOUT 252 000 IN THE FIRST QUARTER TO 180 000 IN THE FINAL QUARTER.

+THUS THE SURVEY SHOWS THAT FROM ABOUT 20 000 TO 100 000 PEOPLE, DEPENDING ON THE TIME OF THE YEAR, WORKED SHORT HOURS LAST YEAR BECAUSE THEY WERE ON HOLIDAY, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

ABOUT 85 000 PEOPLE, A FAIRLY STABLE NUMBER OVER THE YEAR, WORKED SHORT HOURS FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS:

* BEING TOO BUSY WITH HOUSEWORK, SCHOOLWORK OR OTHER

PERSONAL PREOCCUPATIONS;

* FULL-TIME WORK REQUIRING LESS THAN 35 HOURS A WEEK; OR * PERMANENT SICKNESS, DISABLEMENT, OLD AGE OR PARTIAL

RETIREMENT.

/OTHER REASONS