XN000022-1992-05-14 — Page 7

LO

THURSDAY, MAY 14, 1992

BUSINESS SURVEY RESULTS FOR FIRST QUARTER 1992 RELEASED

* * * * *

MANUFACTURERS GENERALLY REPORTED A LESS FAVOURABLE BUSINESS SITUATION

THE FOURTH IN THE

WITH FIRST QUARTER OF 1992 COMPARED

QUARTERLY BUSINESS QUARTER OF 1991, ACCORDING TO THE RESULTS OF THE

1 RELEASED TODAY (THURSDAY) SURVEY

BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS

DEPARTMENT.

THIS WAS, HOWEVER, LARGELY DUE TO SEASONAL FACTORS, USUALLY LESS ORDERS AFTER THE CHRISTMAS DELIVERIES. WAS IN LINE WITH THE EARLIER EXPECTATIONS.

WERE

AS THERE THE RESULT

LOOKING AHEAD, MANUFACTURERS GENERALLY EXPECT AN IMPROVEMENT IN COMPARED THE GENERAL BUSINESS SITUATION IN THE SECOND QUARTER OF 1992 WITH THE FIRST QUARTER.

ABOUT 1,000 FIRMS FROM VARIOUS INDUSTRIES AND TRADES, FORMING A SURVEY. CROSS-SECTION OF THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY, PARTICIPATED IN THE THEY WERE ASKED ABOUT THEIR BUSINESS EXPERIENCES AND EXPECTATIONS WELL AS THE BUSINESS PROBLEMS THEY FACED.

AS

BUSINESS

DESPITE THE LESS FAVOURABLE OVERALL TREND FOR THE MANUFACTURING

AN REPORTED ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY

IMPROVED THE SECTOR, SITUATION IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1992.

BUSINESS EXPERIENCE IN THE FIRST QUARTER WAS SIMILAR INDUSTRIES TO WHAT HAD EARLIER BEEN EXPECTED.

IN MOST

ACTUALLY SAME,

EXPECTED

EXPERIENCED A

BUT THE FABRICATED METAL PRODUCTS INDUSTRY, WHICH HAD

то BUSINESS SITUATION

REMAIN THE DETERIORATION IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1992. WHILE CAPACITY UTILISATION IMPROVED IN THE QUARTER, THE INDUSTRY WAS FACED WITH A GROWING PROBLEM OF HIGH WAGE RATES.

PLASTICS INDUSTRIES ON THE OTHER HAND, BOTH THE PRINTING AND FOUND THAT THE GENERAL BUSINESS SITUATION IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1992 A DETERIORATION REMAINED SIMILAR TO THE PRECEDING QUARTER, ALTHOUGH HAD EARLIER BEEN EXPECTED.

+

FOR THE PRINTING INDUSTRY, THERE WAS REDUCED CONCERN ABOUT PROBLEM OF EXCHANGE RATE FLUCTUATIONS.

THE

FOR THE PLASTICS INDUSTRY, THERE WAS DECREASED WORRY ABOUT PROBLEM OF INSUFFICIENT BUSINESS ORDERS.

THE

AS

REGARDS THE BUSINESS PROSPECTS FOR THE SECOND 1992, FIRMS IN MOST MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES ANTICIPATE BUSINESS SITUATION TO IMPROVE OVER THE FIRST QUARTER.

QUARTER THE GENERAL

OF

IN

THE CONSTRUCTION

SECTOR,

FIRMS EXPERIENCED

A

DETERIORATION

IN THE GENERAL BUSINESS SITUATION IN THE FIRST OF 1992 COMPARED WITH THE PRECEDING QUARTER.

MILD QUARTER

/LOOKING AHEAD