XN000022-1990-08-14 — Page 2

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 1990

APRIL-JUNE UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT STATISTICS RELEASED

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THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE REMAINED STABLE AT A LOW LEVEL WHILE UNDEREMPLOYMENT RATE INCREASED DURING THE PERIOD APRIL TO JUNE ACCORDING TO THE LATEST LABOUR FORCE STATISTICS RELEASED (TUESDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

THE

1990, TODAY

JUNE

THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR APRIL ΤΟ 1990 WAS 1.6 PER CENT, COMPARED WITH 1.7 PER CENT FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDING MARCH 1990 AND 1.4 PER CENT FOR THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD YEAR EARLIER.

THREE-MONTH

THE DECREASE OF 0.1 OF A PERCENTAGE POINT BELOW THE PRECEDING PERIOD AND THE INCREASE OF 0.2 OF A PERCENTAGE POINT THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD A YEAR EARLIER ARE BOTH STATISTICALLY NOT SIGNIFICANT.

OVER

THE NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED PERSONS IN APRIL TO JUNE 1990 WAS ESTIMATED AT 43,900, COMPARED WITH 46,300 IN THE THREE MONTHS ENDING MARCH 1990 AND 38,600 IN THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD IN 1989.

THE UNDEREMPLOYMENT RATE FOR APRIL TO JUNE 1990 WAS 0.9 PER CENT, COMPARED WITH 0.7 PER CENT FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDING MARCH 1990 AND 0.8 PER CENT FOR THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD A YEAR EARLIER.

THE INCREASE OF 0.2 OF A PERCENTAGE POINT OVER THE PRECEDING THREE-MONTH PERIOD IS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT WHILE THE INCREASE OF 0.1 OF A PERCENTAGE POINT OVER THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD A YEAR EARLIER IS STATISTICALLY NOT SIGNIFICANT.

THE ESTIMATED NUMBER OF UNDEREMPLOYED PERSONS IN APRIL TO JUNE 1990 WAS 26,100, COMPARED WITH 18,300 IN THE THREE MONTHS ENDING MARCH 1990 AND 22,800 IN THE THREE MONTHS ENDING JUNE 1989.

OF

THE

CONSISTENT WITH THE CURRENT RECOMMENDATIONS INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION (ILO), PERSONS WHO WORKED LESS THAN 35 HOURS A WEEK DUE TO ECONOMIC REASONS (SUCH AS SLACK WORK, MATERIAL SHORTAGE, MECHANICAL BREAKDOWN AND INABILITY TO FIND FULL-TIME WORK) WERE REGARDED AS UNDEREMPLOYED ONLY IF THEY WERE EITHER SEEKING OR AVAILABLE FOR MORE WORK.

CENSUS AND JOB-SEEKERS

MONTH TO TO TAKE JOB-SEEKERS

COMMENTING ON THESE FIGURES, THE COMMISSIONER FOR STATISTICS SAID THAT BECAUSE THE PROPORTION OF FIRST-TIME (FOR EXAMPLE PEOPLE WHO HAVE JUST LEFT SCHOOL) VARIES FROM MONTH, UNEMPLOYMENT RATES THAT HAD BEEN SEASONALLY ADJUSTED ACCOUNT OF THE VARIATIONS IN THE NUMBER OF FIRST-TIME SHOULD BE USED IN MAKING COMPARISONS OVER TIME.

PROVISIONAL

THE COMMISSIONER ADDED THAT, BASED ON A SYSTEM OF COUNTS, THE UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT RATES COVERING THE LATEST THREE-MONTH PERIOD COULD BE MADE AVAILABLE WITHIN TWO WEEKS AFTER THE SURVEY. THESE PROVIDE AN EARLY INDICATION OF THE LATEST UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT SITUATION.

/THE PROVISIONAL