XN000022-1992-04-21 — Page 7

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TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 1992

FEBRUARY ORDERS-ON-HAND, EMPLOYMENT AND

PER CAPITA EARNINGS FIGURES RELEASED

OF ORDERS-ON-HAND FOR

THE AVERAGE VOLUME

LARGEST THE 200

IN FEBRUARY MANUFACTURERS

PER THIS YEAR INCREASED BY 3

CENT OVER SURVEY CONDUCTED BY THE FEBRUARY LAST YEAR, ACCORDING TO A MONTHLY CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

IN IMPROVEMENT

THE ORDERS POSITION WAS

IN MOST

INDUSTRIES. MANUFACTURING

IN PARTICULAR, NOTABLE INCREASES WERE RECORDED IN THE PLASTIC PRODUCTS AND TEXTILES INDUSTRIES.

FOUND

WITH COMPARED

THE PRECEDING MONTH, IN FEBRUARY INCREASED BY ORDERS-ON-HAND MANUFACTURERS SURVEYED.

THE AVERAGE VOLUME OF 2 PER CENT FOR

THE

INCREASES IN ORDERS WERE REPORTED IN MOST MANUFACTURING

THE LARGEST INCREASES IN THE PLASTIC

WITH INDUSTRIES, TEXTILES INDUSTRIES.

PRODUCTS

TERMS

AND

OF

THE AVERAGE VOLUME OF ORDERS-ON-HAND IS MEASURED IN THE NUMBER OF MONTHS AND REFERS TO ORDERS OUTSTANDING AS AT THE END OF THE REFERENCE MONTH.

SIGNIFICANT

THE TOTAL EMPLOYMENT OF THE MANUFACTURERS SURVEYED DECREASED BY 10 PER CENT IN FEBRUARY 1992 OVER A YEAR AGO. DECREASES IN EMPLOYMENT WERE RECORDED IN ALL MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES, WITH MORE

PRODUCTS, IN THE ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC DECREASES FOUND PRODUCTS AND FABRICATED METAL PRODUCTS INDUSTRIES.

PLASTIC

COMPARED WITH THE PRECEDING MONTH, THE TOTAL EMPLOYMENT OF MANUFACTURERS SURVEYED DECREASED BY 2 PER CENT IN FEBRUARY MODERATE DECREASES WERE RECORDED IN MOST MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES.

ON PER CAPITA EARNINGS, BOTH THE YEAR-ON-YEAR

AND

THE

1992.

MONTH-ON- NEW YEAR,

MONTH COMPARISONS ARE AFFECTED BY THE TIMING OF THE LUNAR WHICH FELL IN EARLY FEBRUARY THIS YEAR BUT IN MID-FEBRUARY LAST YEAR.

WHILE MOST COMPANIES SURVEYED ISSUED THEIR DOUBLE-PAY AND YEAR- SO END BONUSES IN LATE JANUARY AND EARLY FEBRUARY LAST YEAR, THEY DID IN JANUARY THIS YEAR.

HENCE, IT IS MORE MEANINGFUL TO COMPARE THE AVERAGE PER CAPITA EARNINGS FOR THE THREE MONTHS FROM DECEMBER 1991 TO FEBRUARY 1992 WITH THOSE FOR THE SAME PERIOD 12 MONTHS AGO.

FOR THE

PERIOD

FROM DECEMBER 1991 ΤΟ FEBRUARY 1992 TAKEN TOGETHER, THE AVERAGE PER CAPITA EARNINGS IN THE MANUFACTURING COMPANIES SURVEYED INCREASED BY 14 PER CENT, IN MONEY TERMS, OVER SAME PERIOD 12 MONTHS AGO.

THE

/SIGNIFICANT INCREASES