XN000022-1988-02-14 — Page 2

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1988

UNEMPLOYMENT, UNDEREMPLOYMENT STATISTICS FOR OCTOBER-DECEMBER

IN THE THREE MONTHS OCTOBER-DECEMBER 1987, BOTH THE UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT RATES REMAINED STABLE AT A LOW LEVEL. COMPARED WITH THE THREE MONTHS ENDING SEPTEMBER 1987, ACCORDING то THE LATEST LABOUR FORCE STATISTICS RELEASED TODAY (SUNDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

THESE FIGURES INDICATE THAT THE LABOUR MARKET CONDITIONS HAVE REMAINED TIGHT, WITH THE LOCAL WORKFORCE FULLY EMPLOYED.

THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR OCTOBER-DECEMBER 1987 WAS 1.9 PER CENT, COMPARED WITH 1.8 PER CENT FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDING SEPTEMBER 1987 AND 2.2 PER CENT FOR THE SAME PERIOD A YEAR EARLIER.

THE INCREASE OF 0.1 PERCENTAGE POINT OVER THE PREVIOUS THREE MONTH PERIOD IS STATISTICALLY NOT SIGNIFICANT, WHILE THE DECREASE OF 0.3 PERCENTAGE POINT BELOW THE SAMB PERIOD A YEAR EARLIER IS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT.

THE NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED PERSONS IN OCTOBER-DECEMBER 1987 WAS ESTIMATED AT 53,000, COMPARED WITH 49,900 FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDING SEPTEMBER 1987 AND 59,400 FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDING DECEMBER 1986.

THE UNDEREMPLOYMENT RATE FOR OCTOBER-DECEMBER 1987 WAS 1.0 PER CENT, WHICH WAS THE SAME AS THAT FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDING SEPTEMBER 1987. THE RATE FOR OCTOBER-DECEMBER 1986 WAS 1. 2 PER CENT. THE DECREASE OF 0.2 PERCENTAGE POINT BELOW THE SAME PERIOD A YEAR EARLIER IS STATISTICALLY NOT SIGNIFICANT.

THE ESTIMATED NUMBER OF UNDEREMPLOYED PERSONS OCTOBER-DECEMBER 1987 WAS 28,500, COMPARED WITH 26,800 FOR THE MONTHS ENDING SEPTEMBER 1987 AND 31,800 FOR THE THREE MONTHS DECEMBER 1986.

FOR THREE

ENDING

PERSONS WHO WORKED LESS THAN 35 HOURS A WEEK DUE то 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.

THIS PROCEDURE IS CONSISTENT WITH THE OF THE INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION (ILO).

CURRENT

RECOMMENDATIONS

COMMENTING ON THESE FIGURES, THE COMMISSIONER FOR CENSUS AND STATISTICS SAID THAT UNEMPLOYMENT RATES THAT HAD BEEN SEASONALLY ADJUSTED TO TAKE ACCOUNT OF THE VARIATIONS IN THE NUMBER OF FIRST-TIME JOB-SEEKERS SHOULD BE USED IN MAKING COMPARISONS OVER TIME.

THIS WAS BECAUSE THE PROPORTION OF FIRST-TIME JOB-SEEKERS (FOR EXAMPLE PEOPLE WHO HAVE JUST LEFT SCHOOL) VARIES FROM MONTH TO MONTH.

/THE COMMISSIONER