XN000022-1992-09-21 — Page 9

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 1992

DOMESTIC IN THE IN

MR BARMA SAID HE WAS PLEASED TO SEE THAT HONG KONG'S EXPORTS HAD REGISTERED AN INCREASE IN 1991 DESPITE A FALL NUMBERS OF MANUFACTURING ESTABLISHMENTS AND THE PERSONS ENGAGED THE SAME PERIOD.

"AUTOMATION,

BETTER

ORGANISATION,

INTEGRATION

LAND

WITH

INTENSIVE

-

ALL THESE HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE RISE IN PRODUCTIVITY,'

MANUFACTURING IN SOUTHERN CHINA TO SAVE ON LABOUR AND PROCESSES

HE SAID.

AND

HONG KONG'S MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES MAINLY CONSIST OF SMALL MEDIUM-SIZED FACTORIES. THE AVERAGE SIZE OF ESTABLISHMENTS DROPPED FROM 18 PERSONS IN 1985 TO 14 PERSONS IN 1991.

INDUSTRIAL

39,868

FEWER THAN

AND

60

OF THE 46.276 INDUSTRIAL ESTABLISHMENTS IN 1991, ESTABLISHMENTS (86.2 PER CENT) EMPLOYED FEWER THAN 20 PERSONS, 43,886 (94.8 PER CENT) OF THE ESTABLISHMENTS EMPLOYED PERSONS.

ALTHOUGH MAKING UP THE VAST MAJORITY OF HONG

· MANUFACTURING ESTABLISHMENTS, FACTORIES WITH FEWER THAN 50 ONLY EMPLOYED 324,673 PERSONS IN TOTAL (49.6 PER CENT OF MANUFACTURING EMPLOYMENT) IN 1991.

KONG'S PERSONS

TOTAL

MORE THAN HALF OF HONG KONG'S TOTAL MANUFACTURING EMPLOYMENT (329,989 PERSONS, 50.4 PER CENT) WAS CONCENTRATED IN ESTABLISHMENTS (5.2 PER CENT).

2,390 LARGER

WERE

NETWORK KONG'S

MR BARMA SAID MANY SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED OPERATIONS CLOSELY LINKED WITH THE BIGGER FACTORIES THROUGH AN EFFICIENT OF SUBCONTRACTING PROCESSING ARRANGEMENTS, PROVIDING HONG MANUFACTURING SECTOR WITH A FLEXIBILITY WHICH ENABLED SWIFTLY TO CHANGES IN EXTERNAL DEMANDS.

HONG

IT ΤΟ

RESPOND

THE PUBLICATION ALSO CONTAINED THE FINDINGS OF A SURVEY OF KONG'S MANUFACTURING ENVIRONMENT CONDUCTED DEPARTMENT BETWEEN JUNE AND SEPTEMBER LAST YEAR.

INDUSTRY

BY THE

14

RETURNS

QUESTIONNAIRES WERE SENT TO 2,850 SAMPLED ESTABLISHMENTS IN SELECTED MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES. A TOTAL OF 1,589 VALID WERE RECEIVED.

WHEN ASKED TO COMMENT ON THE FAVOURABILITY OF 12 GIVEN INVESTMENT FACTORS, MORE THAN HALF OF THE 1,589 RESPONDENTS CONSIDERED FIVE OF THE FACTORS TO BE FAVOURABLE.

THEY WERE HONG KONG'S INFRASTRUCTURE (74.6 PER CENT), BANKING AND FINANCIAL FACILITIES (72.5 PER CENT), REGIONAL LOCATION (56.3 CENT),

PER LABOUR PRODUCTIVITY (55.1 PER CENT) AND AVAILABILITY PROFESSIONAL AND TECHNICAL SKILL (51 PER CENT).

OF

THE UNFAVOURABLE FACTORS WERE

COST OF OFFICE AND FUTURE (35.9 PER CENT).

FACTORY SPACES

LABOUR COST (55.4 PER (43.4 PER CENT) AND

CENT), POLITICAL

0

19