XN000022-1986-08-14 — Page 8

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 1986

THE COMMISSIONER ADDED THAT, BASED ON A SYSTEM OF MANUAL EXTRACTION OF INFORMATION FROM SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRES FOR THE LATEST MONTH, PROVISIONAL UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT RATES COVERING THE LATEST THREE-MONTH PERIOD COULD BE MADE AVAILABLE WITHIN TWO WEEKS AFTER THE SURVEY. THESE PROVIDE AN EARLY

INDICATION OF THE LATEST TREND IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT SITUATION,

THE PROVISIONAL UNEMPLOYMENT RATE (NOT SEASONALLY ADJUSTED) FOR MAY - JULY 1986 WAS 3.0 PER CENT AND THE PROVISIONAL UNDEREMPLOYMENT RATE WAS 1.7 PER CENT. (THE UNADJUSTED UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR APRIL - JUNE 1986 WAS 3.0 PER CENT.)

THE UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT STATISTICS WERE OBTAINED FROM A CONTINUOUS GENERAL HOUSEHOLD SURVEY CONDUCTED BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT,

THIS SURVEY COVERS A QUARTERLY SAMPLE OF SOME 15 000 HOUSEHOLDS OR 53 000 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.

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 JUNE 1986 SHOULD BE AVAILABLE FROM THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS CENTRE AROUND SEPTEMBER 20.

YOUNG PEOPLE A TARGET OF VOTER REGISTRATION DRIVE

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YOUNG PEOPLE WHO HAVE RECENTLY BECOME QUALIFIED FOR THE ELECTORAL ROLL HAVE BEEN URGED TO RESPOND TO THIS YEAR'S REGISTRATION EXERCISE TO BE HELD FROM TOMORROW (AUGUST 15) TO SEPTEMBER 30.

+ THE EXERCISE THIS YEAR. APART FROM PROVIDING AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THOSE WHO ARE ELIGIBLE BUT HAVE NOT YET MADE THE EFFORT TO GET REGISTERED, WILL ALSO TRY TO SOLICIT REGISTRATIONS FROM YOUNG PEOPLE WHO HAVE NEWLY BECOME QUALIFIED,+ PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICER (ELECTORAL SERVICES), MR WAN YIU-SING, SAID AT A PRESS CONFERENCE HELD THIS AFTERNOON (THURSDAY).

UNDER THE