XN000022-1996-06-24 — Page 14

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These are some of the major findings of the 1994 Survey of Storage, Communication, Financing, Insurance and Business Services, released today (Monday) by the Census and Statistics Department. The survey was conducted from May 1995 to early 1996.

All value figures in this press release are expressed in current price terms. Percentage changes derived from these figures have not been adjusted for price changes. Caution should therefore be taken in interpreting the survey results.

In 1994, there were some 21,800 establishments operating in the business services industry, an increase of 29% over 1993. The industry includes legal, accounting, auditing, data processing, advertising and marketing firms and companies providing miscellaneous business services such as business management and consultancy, employment, secretarial, technical and machinery/equipment rental services.

The total receipts generated by these establishments amounted to $65 billion, an increase of 23% over 1993.

The gross surplus of the industry accounted for 18.1% of the total receipts, a decrease of 2.5 percentage points from 1993.

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On the other hand, the total operating expenditure -- comprising compensation of the of employees, operating expenses and value of purchases of goods for sale industry amounted to 81.9% of the total receipts. This was 2.5 percentage points higher than the figure for 1993.

The total value added of the business services industry, a measure of the industry's contribution to Hong Kong's Gross Domestic Product, grew by 20% from $24.8 billion in 1993 to $29.7 billion in 1994. It constituted 45.6% of the total receipts and was 1.2 percentage points lower than the figure for 1993.

In the insurance industry, which includes general insurers, life insurers and insurance agents, there were 2,500 establishments in operation in 1994, an increase of 6% over 1993.

The insurance industry generated $41 billion of total receipts in 1994, an increase of 20% over 1993.

The total operating expenditure of the industry accounted for 23.3% of the total receipts, registering an increase of 0.4 percentage point when compared with 1993.