XN000022-1989-04-18 — Page 10

TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 1989

**

.9

PER CAPITA EARNINGS COVER COMPANY EMPLOYEES

ONLY; SITE WORKERS

EMPLOYED BY LABOUR-ONLY SUB-CONTRACTORS ARE NOT INCLUDED.

THE SUBSTANTIAL DECREASES IN PER CAPITA EARNINGS BETWEEN JANUARY FEBRUARY 1989 WERE MAINLY DUE TO THE ISSUE OF DOUBLE-PAY AND ANNUAL BONUSES IN JANUARY 1989, AHEAD OF THE LUNAR NEW YEAR HOLIDAYS. THE COMPARISON BETWEEN THE FEBRUARY 1988 AND FEBRUARY 1989 FIGURES WAS AFFECTED BY THE DIFFERENCE IN TIMING FOR THE ISSUE OF DOUBLE-PAY AND ANNUAL BONUSES IN 1988 AND 1989, DUE TO THE DIFFERENCE IN THE TIMING OF THE LUNAR NEW YEAR IN THE TWO YEARS. A FURTHER COMPARISON IS THUS PROVIDED TO SHOW CHANGES IN AVERAGE PER CAPITA EARNINGS FOR JAN.-FEB. 1989 OVER JAN.-FEB. 1988.

NOTES

TABLES TO

1-3 : UNLIKE "ORDERS-ON-HAND"

"PER AND

CAPITA EARNINGS", WHICH ARE AVERAGE FIGURES AMONGST THE FIRMS SURVEYED, THE TOTAL NUMBER OF PERSONS ENGAGED BY THE FIRMS SURVEYED IS NOT MEANINGFUL INFORMATION ON

ITS OWN (BECAUSE THIS IS A PANEL SURVEY) AND IS THEREFORE NOT SHOWN.

WETTER THAN NORMAL YEAR IN 1989

HAVE A OF

PRESENT INDICATIONS ARE THAT HONG KONG IS LIKELY TO WETTER THAN NORMAL YEAR IN 1989 IN TERMS OF RAINFALL, THE DIRECTOR THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY, MR PATRICK SHAM, SAID TODAY (TUESDAY).

OF

"SINCE TROPICAL CYCLONES ON AVERAGE ACCOUNT FOR ONE-QUARTER THE YEAR'S NORMAL RAINFALL, ONE CAN PERHAPS DEDUCE THAT TROPICAL CYCLONE ACTIVITY AND IMPACT ON HONG KONG WILL BE HIGHER THIS YEAR THAN IN PREVIOUS YEARS, HE ADDED.

SPEAKING AT A LUNCHEON MEETING OF THE ROTARY CLUB OF HONG KONG, MR SHAM REMINDED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC IT WAS NOT TOO EARLY ΤΟ TAKE SOME GENERAL PRECAUTIONS AGAINST DAMAGE DUE ΤΟ STRONG WINDS, HEAVY RAIN AND FLOODING BEFORE THE TYPHOON SEASON BEGAN.

"COMMUNITY PREPAREDNESS ARE THE KEY WORDS IF WE WANT ΤΟ MINIMISE DAMAGE DUE TO NATURAL DISASTERS LIKE TYPHOONS, HE SAID.

||

/MR SHAM

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