XN000022-1986-05-14 — Page 18

WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 1986

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JOBLESS RATE REMAINS STABLE ******

THE UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT SITUATION REMAINED STABLE IN THE QUARTER JANUARY-MARCH 1986 COMPARED WITH THE QUARTER ENDING DECEMBER 1985, ACCORDING TO THE LATEST LABOUR FORCE STATISTICS RELEASED TODAY (WEDNESDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

THE COMMISSIONER FOR CENSUS AND STATISTICS POINTED OUT THAT THE DEFINITIONS OF UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT HAVE BEEN MODIFIED SINCE JANUARY 1985 TO CONFORM WITH THE LATEST RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION (ILO).

THE UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT STATISTICS COMPILED UNDER THE NEW DEFINITIONS HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED FOR A YEAR, ALONG WITH THOSE COMPILED UNDER THE OLD DEFINITIONS. HOWEVER, FROM NOW ON, ONLY THE NEW SERIES WILL BE PUBLISHED.

UNDER THE NEW DEFINITIONS THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR JANUARY-MARCH 1986 WAS 3.2 PER CENT, COMPARED WITH THE RATE OF 3.1 PER CENT FOR THE QUARTER ENDING DECEMBER 1985 AND FOR THE SAME QUARTER OF LAST YEAR,

THE INCREASES OF 0.1 PERCENTAGE POINT OVER THE PREVIOUS QUARTER AND OVER THE SAME QUARTER OF LAST YEAR ARE BOTH STATISTICALLY NOT SIGNIFICANT.

THE NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED PERSONS IN THE QUARTER JANUARY-MARCH 1986 WAS ESTIMATED TO BE 85 000, COMPARED WITH 83 300 FOR THE QUARTER ENDING DECEMBER 1985 AND 81 100 FOR THE SAME QUARTER OF LAST YEAR.

UNDER THE NEW DEFINITIONS, THE UNDEREMPLOYMENT RATE FOR JANUARY- MARCH 1986 WAS 2.3 PER CENT, WHICH IS THE SAME AS THAT FOR THE QUARTER ENDING DECEMBER 1985. THE RATE FOR JANUARY-MARCH 1985 WAS 1.5 PER CENT. THE INCREASE OF 0.8 PERCENTAGE POINT OVER THE SAME QUARTER OF LAST YEAR IS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT.

THE ESTIMATED NUMBER OF UNDEREMPLOYED PERSONS FOR THE QUARTER JANUARY-MARCH 1986 WAS 61 700, COMPARED WITH 62 100 FOR THE QUARTER ENDING DECEMBER 1985 AND 39 700 FOR THE SAME QUARTER OF LAST YEAR.

CONSISTENT WITH THE LATEST RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE ILO, PERSONS WHO WORKED LESS THAN 35 HOURS A WEEK DUE TO ECONOMIC REASONS (SUCH AS SLACK WORK, MATERIAL SHORTAGE, MECHANICAL BREAKDOWN AND INABILITY TO FIND FULL-TIME WORK) WERE REGARDED AS UNDEREMPLOYED ONLY IF THEY WERE EITHER SEEKING OR AVAILABLE FOR MORE WORK.

THE COMMISSIONER FOR CENSUS AND STATISTICS POINTED OUT THAT WHILE THE EFFECT OF THE MODIFICATION OF DEFINITION ON THE ESTIMATE OF UNEMPLOYMENT IS MARGINAL, ITS EFFECT ON THE ESTIMATE OF UNDEREMPLOYMENT IS QUITE CONSIDERABLE.

THE DIFFERENCE