XN000022-1987-11-18 — Page 27

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WEDNESDAY, NOVIMBER 18, 1987

AND

FOR THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR, SHORTAGE OF LABOUR GENERALLY BECOMES THE MOST PROMINENT PROBLEM IN THE THIRD QUARTER

THIS IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN 90 IN

QUARTER. BESIDES SHORTAGE OF HIGH LABOUR TURNOVER WERE

PROBLEMS MORE BIGNIFICANT

IN

THE FOURTH

SKILLED LABOUR, HIGH MATERIAL PRICES AND

RELATIVELY ALSO REGARDED BY FIRMS AS BOTH THE THIRD AND FOURTH QUARTERS.

APART FROM FACING THE PROBLEM OF PRICE COMPETITION, FROM BOTH LOCAL

FIRMS AND FOREIGN

IN HONG KONG, CONSTRUCTION FRIMS

FRIMS WERE COMMONLY AFFECTED BY THE PROBLEMS OF SHORTAGE OF LABOUR GENERALLY, TURNOVER SHORTAGE OF SKILLED LABOUR, HIGH WAGES RATES AND HIGH LABOUR TO A GREATER EXTENT THAN IN PREVIOUS QUARTERS. THESE PROBLEMS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN PROMINENT IN THE FOURTH QUARTER.

SECTOR,

THR

HIGH

IN

AS FOR THR "WHOLESALE, RETAIL AND IMPORT/EXPORT TRADES,

HOTELS" RESTAURANTS AND

SECTOR AND "OTHER SERVICES"

AND PROBLEMS OF PRICE COMPETITION, SHORTAGE OF STAFF GENERALLY

TURNOVER CONTINUED TO AFFECT THE RESPONDING FIRMS.

EXPERIENCED PARTICULAR, SHORTAGE OF

STAFF

A HAS BECOME PROMINENT PROBLEM

IN THE "HOTELS", "BANKS" AND "REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT AND RELATED SERVICES" BUSINESSES.

STAFF

AMONG FIRMS

ACCORDING TO THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT, RESULTS, OBTAINED WITH A MINIMUM TIME LAG, ARE INTENDED ONE SOURCE OF REFERENCE FOR MAKING A QUICK ASSESSMENT OF ECONOMIC SITUATION OF HONG KONG,

-

THE SURVEY

TO PROVIDE

THE

CURRENT

IN THE SURVEY, PARTICIPATING FIRMS WERE ASKED TO INDICATE WHETHER, IN THEIR OPINION, THE GENERAL BUSINESS SITUATION AND LEVEL OF CAPACITY UTILISATION HAD "IMPROVED" "REMAINED THE SAME" OR "DETERIORATED" IN THE QUARTER JUST ENDED A8 COMPARED WITH THE PRECEDING QUARTER.

I

F

SAME"

FOR THE FORTHCOMING QUARTER, THEY WERE ALSO ASKED то INDICATE WHETHER THE SITUATION WOULD "IMPROVE", "REMAIN THE

OR DETERIORATE". THE OPINIONS OF RESPONDENTS WERE TABULATED AND ANALYSED. THE SURVEY REPORT CONTAINS A SECTION ON THE BUSINESS PROBLEMS EXPERIENCED AND EXPECTED BY FIRMS IN DIFFERENT ECONOMIC SECTORS AND A BREAKDOWN OF THE VIEWS OF FIRMS BY SIZE GROUPS.

THE DEPARTMENT CAUTIONED THAT, IN A SURVEY OF THIS NATURE, THE RESULTS SHOULD BE INTERPRETED WITH CARR AS IT

IT IS DIFFICULT TO ESTABLISH PRECISELY THE EXTENT TO WHICH RESPONDENTS' PERCEPTION OF THE PAST AND THE FUTURE ACCORDS WITH THE UNDERLYING TRENDS.

COPIES OF THE REPORT, CONTAINING AN ANALYS19 OF THE SURVEY FINDINGS AND STATISTICAL TABLES, HAVE BREN DISTRIBUTED TO FIRMS TAKING PART IN THE SURVEY AND TO OTHER BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS. MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC MAY OBTAIN COPIES FROM THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS SALES CENTRE, GENERAL POST OFFICE BUILDING, CONNAUGHT PLACE, AT $3.50 PER COPY.

BE

FURTHER DETAILS OF THE QUARTERLY BUSINESS SURVEY MAY OBTAINED FROM THE NATIONAL INCOME BRANCH OF THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT ON 5-8234779.

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