XN000022-1984-09-23 — Page 6

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1984

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LATEST STATISTICS ON ORDERS-ON-HAND OUT

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THE AVERAGE VOLUME OF ORDERS-ON-HAND IN TERMS OF MONTHS IN THE

COMPARED WITH MANUFACTURING SECTOR DECLINED SLIGHTLY IN JULY 1984

THE PREVIOUS MONTH, ACCORDING TO FIGURES RELEASED TODAY BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

A MORE NOTABLE DECREASE WAS RECORDED IN THE TEXTILES INDUSTRY.

THE WEARING APPAREL AND ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC INDUSTRIES ALSO SHOWED SOME DECLINE, BUT THE AVERAGE VOLUME OF ORDERS WERE STILL AT A RELATIVELY HIGH LEVEL.

COMPARED WITH THE PREVIOUS MONTH, EMPLOYMENT IN THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR CONTINUED TO RISE, PARTICULARLY IN THE PLASTIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRY, AS MORE FACTORIES RECRUITED SUMMER WORKERS.

EMPLOYMENT IN THE CONSTRUCTION SECTOR DROPPED AS SOME

CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS WERE COMPLETED.

IN THE SERVICES SECTOR, THE EMPLOYMENT LEVEL WAS UNCHANGED. ALONG WITH THE INCREASES IN EMPLOYMENT, PAYROLL IN ALMOST ALL MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES ROSE.

HOWEVER, PER CAPITA EARNINGS DECLINED AS THE WAGE RATES FOR THE NEWLY RECRUITED WORKERS WERE COMPARATIVELY LOWER.

INCREASES IN PAYROLL AND PER CAPITA EARNINGS WERE RECORDED IN BOTH THE CONSTRUCTION AND SERVICES SECTORS, REPORTEDLY DUE TO PAYMENT OF MID-YEAR BONUSES AND SALARY REVISION.

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

THE SURVEY COVERED A PANEL OF THE 200 LARGEST MANUFACTURING COMPANIES AND THE 50 LARGEST COMPANIES IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND SELECTED SERVICES SECTOR CHOSEN BY REFERENCE TO THE IR EMPLOYMENT IN MARCH 1983.

AS THE SAMPLE WAS NOT DRAWN ON A RANDOM BASIS, THE DEPARTMENT CAUTIONED THAT RESULTS ON MAGNITUDE OF CHANGE MIGHT NOT REFLECT THE EXPERIENCE OF THE ECONOMY AS A WHOLE, ALTHOUGH THEY SHOULD GIVE A USEFUL INDICATION OF THE DIRECTION OF CHANGE FOR A QUICK ASSESSMENT OF DEVELOPMENTS IN THE ECONOMY IN THE SHORT TERM.

THE SURVEY REPORT FOR JULY 1984 IS NOW ON SALE AT THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS CENTRE, GENERAL POST OFFICE, AND THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT PUBLICATIONS SALES COUNTER, AT $1.5 PER COPY.

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