XN000022-1989-02-20 — Page 2

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1989

DECEMBER ORDERS-ON-HAND, EMPLOYMENT AND PAYROLL FIGURES RELEASED

THE AVERAGE VOLUME OF ORDERS-ON-HAND REPORTED BY THE 200 LARGEST COMPANIES IN THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR IN DECEMBER 1988 SHOWED LITTLE CHANGE WHEN COMPARED WITH BOTH NOVEMBER 1988 AND DECEMBER 1987, ACCORDING TO THE RESULTS OF A SURVEY RELEASED TODAY (MONDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

COMPARING DECEMBER 1988 WITH NOVEMBER 1988, THE VOLUME OF ORDERS-ON-HAND DECREASED SLIGHTLY IN THE TEXTILES AND FABRICATED METAL PRODUCTS INDUSTRIES, BUT SHOWED LITTLE CHANGE IN THE OTHER MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES SURVEYED.

COMPARED WITH DECEMBER 1987, THE ORDERS POSITION IN DECEMBER 1988 INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE FABRICATED METAL PRODUCTS INDUSTRY AND MODERATELY IN THE ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRY.

OVER THE SAME PERIOD, THE ORDERS POSITION DECREASED SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE TEXTILES INDUSTRY, MODERATELY IN THE PLASTIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRY AND SLIGHTLY IN THE WEARING APPAREL INDUSTRY.

THE AVERAGE VOLUME OF ORDERS-ON-HAND IS MEASURED IN TERMS OF THE NUMBER OF MONTHS AND REFERS TO ORDERS OUTSTANDING AS AT THE END OF THE REFERENCE MONTH.

ON EMPLOYMENT, THE MANUFACTURERS SURVEYED REPORTED THAT THE DECEMBER 1988 LEVEL WAS THE SAME AS IN NOVEMBER 1988, BUT DECREASED BY 6 PER CENT WHEN COMPARED WITH DECEMBER 1987.

COMPARING DECEMBER 1988 WITH NOVEMBER 1988, EMPLOYMENT INCREASED SLIGHTLY IN THE TEXTILES AND FABRICATED METAL PRODUCTS INDUSTRIES, BUT DECREASED SLIGHTLY IN THE PLASTIC PRODUCTS AND THE ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRIES.

EMPLOYMENT IN THE FOOD AND DRINKS AND THE WEARING APPAREL INDUSTRIES SHOWED LITTLE CHANGE OVER THE SAME PERIOD.

COMPARED WITH DECEMBER 1987, EMPLOYMENT IN DECEMBER 1988 DECREASED SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE PLASTIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRY, MODERATELY THE WEARING APPAREL AND THE ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRIES, AND SLIGHTLY IN THE FOOD AND DRINKS AND THE TEXTILES INDUSTRIES.

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ON THE OTHER HAND, A MODERATE INCREASE IN EMPLOYMENT WAS RECORDED IN THE FABRICATED METAL PRODUCTS INDUSTRY.

IN DECEMBER 1988, PER CAPITA RARNINGS IN THE MANUFACTURING COMPANIES SURVEYED INCREASED, IN MONEY TERMS, BY 14 PER CENT WHEN COMPARED WITH NOVEMBER 1988 AND BY 20 FER CENT WHEN COMPAREN WITH DECEMBER 1987.

MAINLY BECAUSE OF THE ISSUE OF DOUBLE PAY AND YEAR-END BONUSES IN SOME MANUFACTURING COMPANIES, PER CAPITA EARNINGS IN DECEMBER 1988 INCREASED SUBSTANTIALLY OVER NOVEMBER 1988 IN THE FOOD AND DRINKS INDUSTRY AND SIGNIFICANTLY IN MOST OF THE OTHER MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES SURVEYED.

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