XN000022-1991-12-19 — Page 7

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1991

OCTOBER ORDERS-ON-HAND,

EMPLOYMENT AND PER CAPITA EARNINGS FIGURES RELEASED

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THE

AVERAGE VOLUME OF ORDERS-ON-HAND REPORTED BY THE 200 LARGEST MANUFACTURING COMPANIES IN OCTOBER THIS YEAR SHOWED LITTLE CHANGE WHEN COMPARED WITH SEPTEMBER THIS YEAR, BUT INCREASED BY FOUR PER CENT WHEN COMPARED WITH OCTOBER LAST

YEAR, ACCORDING TO THE RESULTS OF A SURVEY RELEASED TODAY (THURSDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

COMPARED WITH SEPTEMBER THIS YEAR, THE AVERAGE VOLUME OF ORDERS-ON-HAND IN OCTOBER THIS YEAR INCREASED SLIGHTLY IN THE TEXTILES AND THE ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRIES, BUT DECREASED SLIGHTLY IN THE PLASTIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRY. OVER THE SAME PERIOD, ORDERS SHOWED LITTLE CHANGE IN THE WEARING APPAREL AND FABRICATED METAL PRODUCTS INDUSTRIES.

COMPARED WITH OCTOBER LAST YEAR, THE ORDERS POSITION IN OCTOBER THIS YEAR IMPROVED IN MOST MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES SURVEYED, WITH THE LARGEST INCREASES RECORDED IN THE TEXTILES AND PLASTIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRIES, FOLLOWED BY THE WEARING APPAREL, FABRICATED METAL PRODUCTS, AND ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRIES.

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 OCTOBER THIS YEAR SHOWED LITTLE CHANGE WHEN COMPARED WITH SEPTEMBER THIS YEAR, BUT DECREASED BY 10 PER CENT WHEN COMPARED WITH OCTOBER LAST YEAR.

COMPARED WITH SEPTEMBER THIS YEAR, EMPLOYMENT IN OCTOBER INCREASED SLIGHTLY IN THE FOOD AND DRINKS INDUSTRY, BUT DECREASED SLIGHTLY IN THE PLASTIC PRODUCTS AND FABRICATED METAL PRODUCTS INDUSTRIES. ON THE OTHER HAND, EMPLOYMENT SHOWED LITTLE CHANGE IN THE WEARING APPAREL, TEXTILES AND THE ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRIES OVER THE SAME PERIOD.

COMPARED WITH OCTOBER LAST YEAR, EMPLOYMENT IN OCTOBER THIS YEAR DECREASED IN ALL MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES SURVEYED, WITH MORE SIGNIFICANT DECREASES RECORDED IN THE PLASTIC PRODUCTS, ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS, AND TEXTILES INDUSTRIES.

IN OCTOBER THIS YEAR, PER CAPITA EARNINGS IN THE MANUFACTURING COMPANIES SURVEYED INCREASED BY ONE PER CENT IN MONEY TERMS WHEN COMPARED WITH SEPTEMBER THIS YEAR. PER CAPITA BARNINGS INCREASED MODERATELY IN THE TEXTILES AND THE ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRIES AND TO A LESSER EXTENT IN THE WEARING APPAREL INDUSTRY. THE PLASTIC PRODUCTS INDUSTRY REPORTED A SIGNIFICANT DROP IN PER CAPITA EARNINGS, FOLLOWING THE ISSUE OF SPECIAL PAYMENTS IN SEPTEMBER BY SOME COMPANIES SURVEYED.

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