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FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 1987

SLUGGISH PERFORMANCE FOR MANUFACTURING SECTOR RECORDED IN 1985

1985 WAS A YEAR OF SLUGGISH PERFORMANCE FOR THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR, ACCORDING TO SUMMARY RESULTS FROM THE SURVEY OF INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION IN 1985 RELEASED TODAY (FRIDAY).

6.

THE VALUE OF GROSS OUTPUT IN THE SECTOR WAS ESTIMATED AT $177,006 MILLION, REPRESENTING A DECREASE OF

6 PER CENT COMPARED WITH 1984, THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT SURVEY SHOWED. FIELD WORK FOR THE SURVEY WAS UNDERTAKEN BETWEEN MAY 1986 AND EARLY THIS YEAR.

THERE WERE 49,140 MANUFACTURING ESTABLISHMENTS OPERATING DURING THE WHOLE OR PART OF 1985, EMPLOYING A TOTAL OF 908,528 PERSONS.

THE EXPENSES OF MANUFACTURING ESTABLISHMENTS IN 1985 INCLUDED $112,370 MILLION FOR THE PURCHASE OF MATERIALS, SUPPLIES AND INDUSTRIAL SERVICES; $34,024 MILLION FOR COMPENSATION OF EMPLOYEES; AND $16,512 MILLION FOR OTHER EXPENSES.

THE TOTAL VALUE ADDED OF THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR STOOD AT $50,287 MILLION IN 1985, REPRESENTING A DECREASE OF 4.7 PER CENT COMPARED WITH 1984. VALUE ADDED IS A MEASURE OF THE NET OUTPUT OF THE SECTOR AND REFLECTS ITS CONTRIBUTION TO HONG KONG'S GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT.

RANKED ACCORDING TO THEIR VALUE ADDED, THE TOP FIVE BROAD INDUSTRY GROUPS WITHIN THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR IN HONG KONG WERE: WEARING APPAREL ($12,416 MILLION OR 25 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL VALUE ADDED OF THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR); FABRICATED METAL PRODUCTS. MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT ($8,558 MILLION OR 17 PER CENT); TEXTILES ($7,509 MILLION OR 15 PER CENT); ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS ($6,489 MILLION OR 13 PER CENT); AND PLASTIC PRODUCTS ($4, 769 MILLION OR 9 PER CENT).

AS REGARDS THE GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION OF INDUSTRIES, THE MOST IMPORTANT AREAS WERE THE "TSUEN WAN, KWAI CHUNG AND TSING YI" DISTRICT, AND THE "NGAU TAU KOK, KWUN TONG, LEI YUE MUN ** DISTRICT. ESTABLISHMENTS IN THESE LOCATIONS ALTOGETHER ACCOUNTED FOR 45 PER CENT AND 44 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY OF THE GROSS OUTPUT AND VALUE ADDED OF THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR.

WHEN ANALYSED BY THE EMPLOYMENT SIZES OF ESTABLISHMENTS, THE STATISTICS SHOWED THAT SMALL ESTABLISHMENTS ENGAGING LESS THAN 10 PERSONS REPRESENTED ABOUT 67 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL NUMBER OF MANUFACTURING ESTABLISHMENTS, BUT ACCOUNTED FOR ONLY 8 PER CENT, 9 PER CENT AND 13 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY OF THE GROSS OUTPUT, VALUE ADDED AND TOTAL WORKFORCE OF THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR.

/IN CONTRAST,

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