XN000022-1996-01-11 — Page 22

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Retrenched worker conciliation meeting

The conciliation meeting between representatives of the affected imported workers, the principal contractor and the sub-contractor at the Labour Department Headquarters concluded shortly before 9.30 pm this (Thursday) evening. Views on the retrenchment were exchanged during the meeting.

Both sides agreed to adjourn the meeting to 10 am tomorrow (Friday) at the Labour Department Headquarters.

End

September employment and vacancy statistics released

According to the figures released today (Thursday) by the Census and Statistics Department, there was continued growth in employment in most of the major service sectors between September 1994 and September 1995. Meanwhile, employment in the manufacturing sector declined further. But employment at construction sites registered a further significant increase.

Vacancies in the manufacturing sector remained on a downtrend in September 1995 over a year earlier, while those at construction sites registered a substantial increase.

Over the same period, vacancies in the various service sectors recorded decreases of different magnitudes. Nevertheless, there were still around 51,000 vacancies for all major sectors taken together.

In terms of the number of persons engaged, the wholesale, retail and import/export trades, restaurants and hotels sector was the largest, employing 1,030,900 persons in September 1995.

This was followed by the manufacturing sector, with an employment of 386,100; the financing, insurance, real estate and business services sector, 375,400; the community, social and personal services sector, 298,300; the transport, storage and communications sector, 170,000; and the construction sites (for manual workers only), 65,800.