XN000022-1993-07-16 — Page 15

FRIDAY, JULY 16, 1993

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BANKING LICENCE GRANTED TO SHIGA BANK

* * * ✶ ✶

A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SAID TODAY (FRIDAY) THAT THE SHIGA BANK, LTD HAD BEEN GRANTED A BANKING LICENCE TO CONDUCT BUSINESS IN HONG KONG.

SHIGA IS THE 52ND LARGEST BANK IN JAPAN, AND RANKS 266TH IN THE WORLD IN TERMS OF CAPITAL.

BEFORE THE GRANTING OF THE BANKING LICENCE, THE BANK OPERATING A REPRESENTATIVE OFFICE SINCE 1989.

HAS BERN

THE NEW BRANCH WILL ENABLE THE BANK TO OFFER A WIDER BANKING SERVICES TO ITS CUSTOMERS.

RANGE OF

THE SPOKESMAN SAID THE CONTINUING INTEREST OF FOREIGN BANKS IN ENTERING THE LOCAL MARKET REFLECTED HONG KONG'S CONTINUED IMPORTANCE AS A MAJOR INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL CENTRE.

THE LICENCE FOR SHIGA IS THE FIFTH BANKING LICENCE GRANTED THIS YEAR.

THERE ARE NOW 169 LICENSED BANKS IN HONG KONG, OF WHICH 137 ARE INCORPORATED OUTSIDE THE TERRITORY.

UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT FIGURES FOR MARCH

T

MAY

THE SEASONALLY ADJUSTED UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR MARCH MAY WAS 2.3%, AND THE UNDEREMPLOYMENT RATE WAS 2.0%, ACCORDING TO THE LATEST LABOUR FORCE STATISTICS RELEASED TODAY (FRIDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

THE PROVISIONAL SEASONALLY ADJUSTED UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR THE PERIOD APRIL

JUNE 1993 WAS 2.2%, WHILE THE PROVISIONAL UNDEREMPLOYMENT RATE WAS 2.0%.

THE LATEST STATISTICS SUGGEST THAT BOTH THE UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT RATES REMAINED BROADLY STABLE.

DURING THE PERIOD MARCH MAY 1993, THE NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED PERSONS, ADJUSTED FOR VARIATIONS IN THE NUMBER OF FIRST-TIME JOB- SEEKERS, WAS ESTIMATED AT 64,500, WHILE THE NUMBER OF UNDEREMPLOYED PERSONS WAS ESTIMATED AT 57,000.

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

THE SURVEY FOR MARCH

MAY 1993 COVERED A QUARTERLY SAMPLE OF SOME 12,000 HOUSEHOLDS OR 41,500 PERSONS, SELECTED SCIENTIFICALLY ΤΟ REPRESENT THE LAND-BASED CIVILIAN NON-INSTITUTIONAL POPULATION IN HONG KONG.

/RELEVANT DATA