XN000022-1989-06-20 — Page 2

TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 1989

APRIL ORDERS-ON-HAND, EMPLOYMENT AND PAYROLL FIGURES

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THE ORDERS POSITION IN APRIL 1989 AS REPORTED BY THE 200 LARGEST MANUFACTURING COMPANIES REMAINED AT ABOUT THE SAME LEVEL AS IN MARCH 1989 BUT INCREASED BY 2 PER CENT WHEN COMPARED WITH APRIL 1988, ACCORDING TO THE RESULTS OF A SURVEY RELEASED TODAY (TUESDAY) CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

BY THE

COMPARING APRIL 1989 WITH MARCH 1989, THE AVERAGE VOLUME OF ORDERS-ON-HAND INCREASED MODERATELY IN THE FABRICATED METAL PRODUCTS INDUSTRY, AND TO A LESSER EXTENT IN THE TEXTILES INDUSTRY. ON THE OTHER HAND, ORDERS SHOWED SLIGHT DECREASES IN THE WEARING APPAREL PLASTIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRIES, AND WERE ALMOST UNCHANGED IN ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRY.

AND

THE

WHEN COMPARED WITH APRIL 1988, THE ORDERS POSITION

IN APRIL 1989 INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE FABRICATED METAL PRODUCTS INDUSTRY. SLIGHT INCREASES IN ORDERS WERE RECORDED IN THE WEARING APPAREL AND THE ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRIES. HOWEVER, ORDERS DECREASED MODERATELY IN THE TEXTILES AND THE PLASTIC

INDUSTRIES.

PRODUCTS

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 THEIR TOTAL WORKFORCE IN APRIL 1989 WAS SMALLER BY 1 PER CENT WHEN COMPARED WITH MARCH 1989, AND BY 9 PER CENT WHEN COMPARED WITH APRIL 1988.

COMPARING APRIL 1989 WITH MARCH 1989, EMPLOYMENT SHOWED SMALL DECREASES IN THE WEARING APPAREL, PLASTIC PRODUCTS, FABRICATED METAL PRODUCTS AND THE ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRIES. EMPLOYMENT IN THE FOOD AND DRINKS AND THE TEXTILES INDUSTRIES SHOWED LITTLE CHANGE.

COMPARED WITH APRIL 1988, EMPLOYMENT IN APRIL 1989 DECREASED SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE PLASTIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRY. SIGNIFICANT DECLINES IN EMPLOYMENT WERE RECORDED IN THE WEARING APPAREL AND THE ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRIES, AND TO A LESSER EXTENT IN THE FOOD AND DRINKS INDUSTRY. THERE WERE SLIGHT DECREASES IN EMPLOYMENT IN THE TEXTILES AND THE FABRICATED METAL PRODUCTS INDUSTRIES.

IN APRIL 1989. PER CAPITA EARNINGS IN THE MANUFACTURING COMPANIES SURVEYED INCREASED, IN MONEY TERMS, BY 3 PER CENT OVER MARCH

1989 AND BY 18 PER CENT OVER APRIL 1988.

/COMPARING APRIL .......