XN000022-1990-04-20 — Page 8

FRIDAY, APRIL 20, 1990

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FEBRUARY ORDERS-ON-HAND, EMPLOYMENT AND PAYROLL FIGURES

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BY

IN FEBRUARY 1990, THE AVERAGE VOLUME OF ORDERS-ON-HAND REPORTED BY THE 200 LARGEST MANUFACTURING COMPANIES INCREASED BY TWO PER CENT WHEN COMPARED WITH JANUARY 1990, BUT DECREASED ONE PER CENT WHEN COMPARED WITH FEBRUARY 1989, ACCORDING TO RESULTS OF A SURVEY RELEASED TODAY (FRIDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

COMPARED WITH JANUARY 1990, THE ORDERS-ON-HAND IN FEBRUARY 1990 INCREASED PLASTIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRY.

THE

AVERAGE VOLUME OF SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE

OVER THE SAME PERIOD, MOST OF THE OTHER MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES SURVEYED ALSO REPORTED INCREASES IN ORDERS. THE ORDERS POSITION IN THE FABRICATED METAL PRODUCTS INDUSTRY, HOWEVER, REMAINED ALMOST UNCHANGED.

COMPARING FEBRUARY 1990 WITH FEBRUARY 1989, THE ORDERS POSITION IMPROVED MODERATELY IN THE TEXTILES INDUSTRY AND SLIGHTLY

IN THE PLASTIC PRODUCTS AND THE ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRIES. ON THE OTHER HAND, ORDERS DECREASED MODERATELY IN THE FABRICATED METAL 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 BND OF THE REFERENCE MONTH.

ON EMPLOYMENT, THE MANUFACTURERS SURVEYED REPORTED THAT THEIR TOTAL WORKFORCE IN FEBRUARY 1990 DECREASED BY TWO PER CENT AND NINE PER CENT WHEN COMPARED WITH JANUARY 1990 AND FEBRUARY 1989 RESPECTIVELY.

COMPARING FEBRUARY 1990 WITH JANUARY 1990, EMPLOYMENT DECREASED MODERATELY IN THE FABRICATED METAL PRODUCTS INDUSTRY AND SLIGHTLY IN THE WEARING APPAREL, TEXTILES AND THE ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRIES. ON THE OTHER HAND, EMPLOYMENT INCREASED SLIGHTLY IN THE PLASTIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRY AND SHOWED LITTLE CHANGE IN THE FOOD AND DRINKS INDUSTRY.

COMPARED WITH FEBRUARY 1989, EMPLOYMENT IN FEBRUARY 1990 DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY IN MOST MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES SURVEYED, WITH THE LARGEST DECREASE RECORDED IN THE ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRY. HOWEVER, A MODERATE INCREASE IN EMPLOYMENT WAS RECORDED IN THE FOOD AND DRINKS INDUSTRY.

AS IS USUAL FOR THE FIRST TWO MONTHS OF EACH YEAR, COMPARISON OF THE PER CAPITA EARNINGS FIGURES FOR FEBRUARY 1990 WITH THE JANUARY 1990 AND FEBRUARY 1989 FIGURES WAS AFFECTED BY THE TIMING OF THE LUNAR NEW YEAR HOLIDAYS.

/SOME MANUFACTURERS