XN000022-1986-04-15 — Page 11

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TUESDAY, APRIL 15, 1986

THESE PROVIDE AN EARLY INDICATION OF THE LATEST TREND IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT SITUATION.

THE PROVISIONAL UNEMPLOYMENT RATE (NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED) FOR JANUARY 1936-MARCH 1986 WAS 3.3 PER CENT, AND THE PROVISIONAL UNDEREMPLOYMENT RATE WAS 1.2 PER CENT. THE UNADJUSTED UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR DECEMBER 1985-FEBRUARY 1986 WAS 3.2 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-INSTITUTIONAL 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 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 DECEMBER 1985-FEBRUARY 1986 WAS 3.0 PER CENT, AND THE UNDEREMPLOYMENT RATE WAS 2.0 PER CENT.

DETAILED ANALYSIS OF LABOUR FORCE CHARACTERISTICS IS GIVEN IN THE REPORT ON THE GENERAL HOUSEHOLD SURVEY WHICH IS PUBLISHED FOUR TIMES A YEAR. THE NEXT REPORT COVERING THE QUARTER ENDING MARCH 1986 SHOULD BE AVAILABLE FROM THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS CENTRE NEXT WEEK.

NEW BOOST FOR CIVIC AWARENESS ***

A NEW PROGRAMME SERIES ENTITLED +INFORMATION '86+ AND AIMED AT PROMOTING CIVIC AWARENESS AMONG HONG KONG RESIDENTS WILL BEGIN THIS MONTH.

THIS WAS ANNOUNCED AT A PRESS CONFERENCE HELD THIS (TUESDAY) AFTERNOON BY THE INFORMATION SERVICES DEPARTMENT (1SD) AND RADIO TELEVISION HONG KONG (RTHK).

/THE NEW