XN000022-1991-12-16 — Page 2

MONDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1991

- 1.

UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT

STATISTICS FOR AUGUST OCTOBER 1991 RELEASED

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THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED UNEMPLOYMENT RATE OR AUGUST OCTOBER Tais YEAR WAS 2.0%, AND THE UNDEREMPLOYMENT RAIL WAS 1.6%, ACCORDING ΤΟ THE LATEST LABOUR FORCE STATISTICS RELEASED TODAY (MONDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

THE

THE PROVISIONAL SEASONALLY ADJUSTED UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR PERIOD SEPTEMBER NOVEMBER THIS YEAR WAS 1.9%, WHILE THE PROVISIONAL UNDEREMPLOYMENT RATE WAS 1.6%.

THE MARGINAL DECREASE IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IN RECENT MONTHS INDICATED THAT CONDITIONS IN THE LABOUR MARKET HAD TIGHTENED UP SLIGHTLY. MEANWHILE, THE UNDEREMPLOYMENT RATE REMAINED GENERALLY STABLE.

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OCTOBER

THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR AUGUST THIS YEAR WAS 2.0%, COMPARED WITH 2.3% FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDING JULY THIS YEAR AND 1.5% FOR THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD A YEAR EARLIER.

THE DECREASE OF 0.3 OF A PERCENTAGE POINT BELOW THE PRECEDING THREE-MONTH PERIOD AND THE INCREASE OF 0.5 OF A PERCENTAGE POINT OVER THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD A YEAR EARLIER ARE BOTH STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT, THAT IS, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO RATES IS NOT ONLY DUE TO SAMPLING FLUCTUATIONS.

THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED PERSONS IN AUGUST OCTOBER THIS YEAR WAS ESTIMATED AT 54,900, COMPARED WITH 65,100 IN THE THREE MONTHS ENDING JULY THIS YEAR AND 41,900 IN THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD A YEAR EARLIER.

1.6%,

THE UNDEREMPLOYMENT RATE FOR AUGUST - OCTOBER THIS YEAR WAS COMPARED WITH 1.5% FOR MAY

FOR JULY THIS YEAR AND 1.0%

THE

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CORRESPONDING PERIOD A YEAR EARLIER.

THE INCREASE OF 0.1 OF A PERCENTAGE POINT OVER THE PRECEDING THREE-MONTH PERIOD IS STATISTICALLY NOT SIGNIFICANT WHILE THE INCREASE OF 0.6 OF A PERCENTAGE POINT OVER THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD A YEAR EARLIER IS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT.

THE ESTIMATED NUMBER OF UNDEREMPLOYED PERSONS IN AUGUST OCTOBER THIS YEAR WAS 44,400, COMPARED WITH 40,800 IN THE THREE MONTHS ENDING JULY THIS YEAR AND 26,600 IN THE CORRESPONDING PERIOD A EARLIER.

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YEAR

THE

CONSISTENT WITH THE CURRENT RECOMMENDATIONS OF 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.

/AS THE