XN000022-1997-01-10 — Page 12

-

11.

In terms of the number of persons engaged, the wholesale, retail and import/export trades, restaurants and hotels sector was the largest, employing 1,046,600 persons in September 1996. This was followed by the financing, insurance, real estate and business services sector, with an employment of 391,200; the manufacturing sector, 327,500; the community, social and personal services sector, 314,500; and the transport, storage and communications sector, 179,800. Also, there were 76,600 manual workers at construction sites.

In terms of change from a year earlier, employment at construction sites (for manual workers only) picked up to show a notable increase, by 16.3% in September 1996. This was followed by employment in the transport, storage and communications sector, rising by 5.8%; the community, social and personal services sector, by 5.4%; the financing, insurance, real estate and business services sector, by 4.2%; and the wholesale, retail and import/export trades, restaurants and hotels sector, by 1.5%. Employment in the manufacturing sector, on the other hand, fell by 15.2%.

The respective employment figures are shown in greater detail in Table 1.

As regards the vacancy situation in individual sectors, the wholesale, retail and import/export trades, restaurants and hotels sector had the largest number of vacancies, at 21,160 in September 1996. This was followed by the financing, insurance, real estate and business services sector, with 10,640 vacancies; the community, social and personal services sector, 8,260 vacancies; the manufacturing sector, 5,870 vacancies; and the transport, storage and communications sector, 3,230 vacancies. Also, there were 1,460 vacancies for manual workers at construction sites.

In terms of change from a year earlier, vacancies in the wholesale, retail and import/export trades, restaurants and hotels sector fell by 3.6% in September 1996, and those in the manufacturing sector by 14.5%. Vacancies for manual workers at construction sites had a further decline of 42.6%. But vacancies in the financing, insurance, real estate and business services sector had a significant increase of 24.2%. Vacancies in the community, social and personal services sector also rose, by 5.8%. Those in the transport, storage and communications sector were likewise higher, by 3.6%.

Job vacancy figures are shown in greater detail in Table 2.

Of the total of some 50,600 vacancies (other than those in the Civil Service) recorded in September 1996, the majority fell into four major occupation groups, namely, associate professionals; clerks; service workers and shop sales workers; and elementary occupations. They together accounted for over three-quarters of the total number of vacancies in all the major sectors surveyed.