XN000022-1992-03-16 — Page 5

MONDAY, MARCH 16, 1992

UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT STATISTICS

JANUARY 1992 RELEASED

FOR NOVEMBER 1991

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FROM

THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR THE PERIOD NOVEMBER LAST YEAR ΤΟ JANUARY THIS YEAR WAS 1.9%, AND THE UNDEREMPLOYMENT RATE WAS 1.8%, ACCORDING TO THE LATEST LABOUR FORCE STATISTICS RELEASED TODAY (MONDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

THE PROVISIONAL SEASONALLY ADJUSTED UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR THE PERIOD DECEMBER 1991 FEBRUARY 1992 WAS 2.0%, WHILE THE PROVISIONAL UNDEREMPLOYMENT RATE WAS 1.9%.

WHEN COMPARED WITH THE PRECEDING THREE MONTHS ENDING OCTOBER 1991, THE DIFFERENCES ARE INSIGNIFICANT. BOTH THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED UNEMPLOYMENT RATE AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT RATE REMAINED STABLE AT A RELATIVELY LOW LEVEL.

IN

THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED PERSONS NOVEMBER 1991 JANUARY 1992 WAS ESTIMATED AT 53,700, COMPARED WITH 54,900 IN THE THREE MONTHS ENDING OCTOBER 1991 AND 38,000 IN NOVEMBER 1990 JANUARY 1991.

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THE ESTIMATED NUMBER OF UNDEREMPLOYED PERSONS IN NOVEMBER 1991

WITH JANUARY 1992 WAS 52,200, COMPARED

IN 44,400

THE THREE MONTHS ENDING OCTOBER 1991 AND 18,200 IN NOVEMBER 1990 JANUARY 1991.

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IN

ACCORDANCE WITH THE CURRENT RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE 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 PROPORTION OF FIRST-TIME JOB-SEEKERS (PEOPLE WHO HAVB JUST LEFT SCHOOL) VARIES FROM MONTH TO MONTH, UNEMPLOYMENT RATES THAT HAD BEEN SEASONALLY ADJUSTED TO TAKE ACCOUNT OF THE VARIATIONS IN THE NUMBER OF FIRST-TIME JOB-SEEKERS SHOULD BE USED IN MAKING COMPARISONS OVER TIME.

THE UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT STATISTICS WERE OBTAINED FROM A CONTINUOUS GENERAL HOUSEHOLD SURVEY CONDUCTED BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

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THE SURVEY FOR NOVEMBER 1991 JANUARY 1992 COVERED A QUARTERLY SAMPLE OF SOME 11,700 HOUSEHOLDS OR 41,000 PERSONS, SELECTED SCIENTIFICALLY TO REPRESENT THE LAND-BASED CIVILIAN NON-INSTITUTIONAL POPULATION IN HONG KONG.

PERSONAL AND LABOUR FORCE DATA WERE OBTAINED IN THE SURVEY BY INTERVIEWING EACH INDIVIDUAL MEMBER AGED 15 AND ABOVE IN

THE HOUSEHOLDS SAMPLED.

IN THE SURVEY, THE DEFINITIONS USED IN MEASURING UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT FOLLOW CLOSELY THOSE RECOMMENDED BY THE ILO.

/DETAILED ANALYSIS