XN000022-1985-07-14 — Page 3

SUNDAY, JULY 14, 1985

THESE PROVIDE AN INDICATION OF THE LATEST TREND IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT SITUATION. THE PROVISIONAL UNEMPLOYMENT RATE (NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED) FOR APRIL-JUNE 1985 WAS 2.9 PER CENT, AND THE PROVISIONAL UNDEREMPLOYMENT RATE WAS ONE PER CENT. THE UNADJUSTED UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR MARCH-MAY 1985 WAS 3.1 PER CENT.

THE UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT STATISTICS WERE OBTAINED FROM A CONTINUOUS GENERAL HOUSEHOLD SURVEY (GHS) CONDUCTED BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT. THIS SURVEY COVERS A QUARTERLY SAMPLE OF SOME 14 000 HOUSEHOLDS OR 52 000 PERSONS, SELECTED SCIENTIFICALLY TO REPRESENT THE LAND-BASED CIVILIAN NON-INSTITUTI POPULATION IN HONG KONG.

PERSONAL AND LABOUR FORCE DATA WERE OBTAINED IN THE SURVEY BY INTERVIEWING EACH INDIVIDUAL MEMBER AGED 15 AND ABOVE IN THE HOUSEHOLDS SAMPLED. IN THE SURVEY, THE DEFINITIONS USED IN MEASURING UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT FOLLOW CLOSELY THOSE RECOMMENDED BY THE ILO.

THE COMMISSIONER FOR CENSUS AND STATISTICS FURTHER POINTED OUT THAT TO CONFORM TO THE LATEST STANDARDS RECOMMENDED BY THE ILO, THE GHS DEFINITIONS OF UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT+ HAVE BEEN MODIFIED SINCE JANUARY 1985.

HOWEVER, A COMPLETE CONVERSION WILL ONLY BE INTRODUCED IN MAY 1986 WHEN A SUFFICIENTLY LONG SERIES OF THE STATISTICS UNDER THE NEW DEFINITIONS IS AVAILABLE. USING THE NEW DEFINITIONS THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR MARCH-MAY 1985 WAS 3.1 PER CENT, AND THE UNDEREMPLOYMENT RATE WAS 1.3 PER CENT.

DETAILED ANALYSIS OF LABOUR FORCE CHARACTERISTICS IS GIVE.. IN THE REPORT ON THE GENERAL HOUSEHOLD SURVEY WHICH IS PUBLISHED FOUR TIMES A YEAR. THE NEXT REPORT COVERING THE QUARTER ENDING JUNE 1985 SHOULD BE AVAILABLE FROM THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS CENTRE IN SEPTEMBER.

JSEA PARTICIPANTS ALLOCATED FORM 4 PLACES ****

SEVENTY-THREE PER CENT OF STUDENTS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE JUNIOR SECONDARY EDUCATION ASSESSMENT SYSTEM WERE ALLOCATED SUBSIDISED FORM 4 AND MIDDLE 4 PLACES THIS YEAR, AN EDUCATION DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN SAID.

A TOTAL OF 75 237 PUPILS ENTERED FOR THE SYSTEM THIS YEAR, HE ADDED.

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AMONG THE STUDENTS, 2 020 ACCEPTED PLACES ON FULL-TIME CRAFT COURSES IN TECHNICAL INSTITUTES AND INDUSTRY TRAINING CENTRES AND ANOTHER 1 915 OPTED OUT DURING THE YEAR.

OF THE REMAINING 71 302 PARTICIPATING STUDENTS, 73 PER CENT HAVE BEEN ALLOCATED SUBSIDISED FORM 4 AND MIDDLE 4 PLACES.

/OF THE