XN000022-1988-03-14 — Page 2

MONDAY, MARCH 14, 1988

UNEMPLOYMENT, UNDEREMPLOYMENT STATISTICS FOR NOVEMBER-JANUARY

IN THE THREE MONTHS NOVEMBER 1987-JANUARY 1988, BOTH THE UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT RATES REMAINED STABLE AT A LOW LEVEL, COMPARED WITH THE THREE MONTHS ENDING OCTOBER 1987, ACCORDING TO THE LATEST LABOUR FORCE STATISTICS RELEASED TODAY (MONDAY) 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 NOVEMBER 1987-JANUARY 1988 WAS 1.8 PER CENT, COMPARED WITH 1.9 PER CENT FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDING OCTOBER 1987 AND 2.0 PER CENT FOR THE SAME PERIOD A YEAR EARLIER.

THE DECREASE OF 0.1 PERCENTAGE POINT BELOW THE PREVIOUS THREE DECREASE OF MONTH PERIOD IS STATISTICALLY NOT SIGNIFICANT, WHILE THE 0.2 PERCENTAGE POINT BELOW THE SAME PERIOD A YEAR EARLIER IS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT.

THE NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED PERSONS IN NOVEMBER 1987-JANUARY 1988 WAS ESTIMATED AT 48,900, COMPARED WITH 52,900 FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDING OCTOBER 1987 AND 54,600 FOR THE

MONTHS ENDING JANUARY

1987.

THREE

THE UNDEREMPLOYMENT RATE FOR NOVEMBER 1987 JANUARY 1988 WAS 0.9 PER CENT, WHICH COMPARES WITH 1.0 PER CENT FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDING OCTOBER 1987. THE RATE FOR NOVEMBER 1986-JANUARY 1987 WAS 1.2 PER CENT.

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

SIGNIFICANT.

THE ESTIMATED NUMBER OF UNDEREMPLOYED PERSONS FOR NOVEMBER 1987-JANUARY 1988 WAS 26,000, COMPARED WITH 28,100 FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDING OCTOBER 1987 AND 31,700 FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDING JANUARY 1987.

WITH CONSISTENT

THE THAN

MATERIAL

THE CURRENT RECOMMENDATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION (ILO), PERSONS WHO WORKED LESS 35 HOURS A WEEK DUE TO ECONOMIC REASONS (SUCH AS SLACK WORK, SHORTAGE, MECHANICAL BREAKDOWN AND INABILITY TO FIND FULL-TIME WORK)

WERE EITHER SEEKING WERE REGARDED AS UNDEREMPLOYED ONLY IF THEY AVAILABLE FOR MORE WORK.

FOR

OR

CENSUS AND JOB-SEEKERS MONTH TO TO TAKE

COMMENTING ON THESE FIGURES, THE COMMISSIONER STATISTICS SAID THAT BECAUSE THE PROPORTION OF FIRST-TIME (FOR EXAMPLE, PEOPLE WHO HAVE JUST LEFT SCHOOL) VARIES FROM

ADJUSTED MONTH, UNEMPLOYMENT RATES THAT HAD BEEN SEASONALLY ACCOUNT OF THE VARIATIONS IN THE NUMBER OF FIRST-TIME JOB-SEEKERS SHOULD BE USED IN MAKING COMPARISONS OVER TIME.

/THE COMMISSIONER