XN000022-1988-01-17 — Page 4

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SUNDAY, JANUARY 17, 1988

COMPARED WITH NOVEMBER 1986,

PAYROLL AND PER CAPITA EARNINGS IN NOVEMBER 1987 INCREASED IN ALL INDUSTRIES SURVEYED, EXCEPT THE PLASTIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRY IN WHICH A DROP IN PAYROLL WAS RECORDED.

IN THE CONSTRUCTION SECTOR, EMPLOYMENT AND PAYROLL DECREASED SLIGHTLY IN NOVEMBER 1987 WHEN COMPARED WITH OCTOBER 1987, WHILE PER CAPITA EARNINGS INCREASED SLIGHTLY OVER THE SAME PERIOD.

COMPARED WITH NOVEMBER 1986, PAYROLL AND PER CAPITA EARNINGS INCREASED SUBSTANTIALLY BUT THERE WAS A SLIGHT INCREASE IN EMPLOYMENT.

IN THE SERVICES SECTORS, THE OVERALL LEVEL OF EMPLOYMENT IN NOVEMBER 1987 WAS ABOUT THE SAME AS IN OCTOBER 1987, BUT PAYROLL AND PER CAPITA EARNINGS WERE LOWER MAINLY BECAUSE OF THE SIGNIFICANT DECREASES REPORTED BY PUBLIC UTILITY COMPANIES.

COMPARED WITH NOVEMBER 1986, EMPLOYMENT IN THE SERVICES SECTORS SHOWED A SLIGHT INCREASE. PAYROLL AND PER CAPITA EARNINGS WERE APPRECIABLY HIGHER, WITH HOTELS RECORDING THE LARGEST INCREASES.

THE PERCENTAGE CHANGES IN ORDERS-ON-HAND, EMPLOYMENT AND PER CAPITA EARNINGS ARE SHOWN IN TABLES 1 AND 2 BELOW.

THE SURVEY COVERED A PANEL OF THE 200 LARGEST MANUFACTURING COMPANIES AND THE 50 LARGEST COMPANIES IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND SELECTED SERVICES SECTORS, CHOSEN BY REFERENCE ΤΟ THEIR EMPLOYMENT SIZES IN SEPTEMBER 1986.

AS THE SAMPLE WAS NOT DRAWN ON A RANDOM BAS15, THE DEPARTMENT CAUTIONED THAT THE MAGNITUDE OF CHANGE INDICATED BY THE SURVEY MIGHT NOT REFLECT THE EXPERIENCE OF THE ECONOMY AS A WHOLE.

NEVERTHELESS, THESE RESULTS ARE EXPECTED TO PROVIDE A USEFUL INDICATION OF THE DIRECTION OF CHANGE FOR A QUICK ASSESSMENT OF DEVELOPMENTS IN THE ECONOMY IN THE SHORT TERM.

THE SURVEY REPORT FOR NOVEMBER 1987 IS NOW ON SALE AT $1.50 PER COPY AT THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS SALES CENTRE, GENERAL POST OFFICE BUILDING AND AT THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT PUBLICATIONS SALES COUNTER, 19TH FLOOR, WANCHAT TOWER 1, 12 HARPOUR ROAD, WAN CHAI.

ENQUIRIES ABOUT THE SURVEY RESULTS MAY BE MADE ΤΟ THE INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION STATISTICS SECTION OF THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT ON 5-8234820.

TABLE 1: