XN000022-1990-03-17 — Page 6

1

5

SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 1990

IN THE SELECTED SERVICE SECTORS, THE OVERALL EMPLOYMENT IN JANUARY 1990 AS REPORTED BY THE COMPANIES SURVEYED DECREASED SLIGHTLY WHEN COMPARED WITH DECEMBER 1989, BUT INCREASED SLIGHTLY WHEN COMPARED WITH JANUARY 1989,

PER CAPITA EARNINGS IN JANUARY 1990 INCREASED MODERATELY OVER DECEMBER 1989, WITH THE LARGEST INCREASE RECORDED IN HOTELS, MAINLY DUE TO THE ISSUE OF DOUBLE PAY AND YEAR-END BONUSES BY MOST HOTELS SURVEYED,

DECREASES IN PER CAPITA EARNINGS WERE RECORDED IN BANKS AND PUBLIC UTILITIES MAINLY DUE TO THE ISSUE OF DOUBLE PAY AND YEAR-END BONUSES IN DECEMBER 1989 BY A NUMBER OF COMPANIES SURVEYED IN THESE TWO SECTORS.

COMPARING JANUARY 1990 WITH JANUARY 1989, PER CAPITA EARNINGS INCREASED SUBSTANTIALLY IN MOST SERVICE SECTORS SURVEYED.

THE PERCENTAGE CHANGES IN ORDERS-ON-HAND,

CAPITA EARNINGS ARE SHOWN IN TABLES 1 TO 3.

EMPLOYMENT AND PER

THE SURVEY COVERED A PANEL OF THE 200 LARGEST MANUFACTURING COMPANIES AND THE 50 LARGEST COMPANIES IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND SELECTED SERVICE SECTORS, CHOSEN BY REFERENCE TO THEIR EMPLOYMENT SIZES IN SEPTEMBER 1986.

THE DEPARTMENT CAUTIONED THAT AS THE SURVEY IS NOT BASED ON A BY SCIENTIFICALLY SELECTED SAMPLE, THE MAGNITUDES OF CHANGE INDICATED THE SURVEY RESULTS ARE MERELY A REFLECTION OF THE EXPERIENCE OF THE COMPANIES SURVEYED.

ABLE HOWEVER, GIVEN THE COMPOSITION OF THE PANEL, IT SHOULD BE TO PROVIDE A USEFUL INDICATION OF THE DIRECTION OF CHANGE

FOR MAKING A QUICK ASSESSMENT OF DEVELOPMENT IN THE ECONOMY IN THE SHORT TERM.

THE SURVEY REPORT FOR JANUARY 1990 IS NOW ON SALE AT THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS CENTRE, GROUND FLOOR, GPO BUILDING, CONNAUGHT PLACE, CENTRAL, AND AT THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT PUBLICATIONS SALES COUNTER, 19TH FLOOR, WANCHAI TOWER 1. 12 HARBOUR ROAD, WAN CHAI, AT $2.50 PER COPY.

STATISTICS

ENQUIRIES ABOUT THE SURVEY RESULTS MAY BE MADE TO THE INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION STATISTICS SECTION OF THE CENSUS AND DEPARTMENT ON TEL. 823 4820.

/TABLE 1