TNAG-0088-FCO40-124-Social-welfare-working-conditions-in-Hong-Kong-1967 — Page 52

FCO40 Hong Kong Department Records 聯邦事務部香港部檔案 All

Ref. CON/TEX/GAR.

Clothing Industry in Hong Kong

The "clothing industry" includes, for the purpose of this report, garments and shirts, knitted piece goods, and raincoats but not gloves, hosiery, shoes and boots. At the end of September,

1966, this industry employed a total of 91,979 persons representing 22.6% of the total industrial employment. The employment

figures listed below indicate that there has been a continuous

expansion in the clothing industry in the past eight years despite

some unwelcome restrictions imposed on exports of clothing articles:-

Year

Garments and shirts

Knitting

Raincoats

Total

(as at 30.9)

1959

33,187

7,900

258

41,345

1960

33,519

8,515

342

42,376

1961.

33,672

9,372

421

43,465

1962

41,056

12,662

338

54,055

1963

49,811

19,119

445

69,375

1964

52,697

22,588

442

75,727

1965

50,322

23,039

308

73,669

1966

60,020

31,600

359

91,979

2.

Since 1959, wages have gone up in the garments and shirts industry by more than 84% and have now reached the level shown in Table H attached.

In fact, wage rates in this branch of the clothing industry are as high

as or higher than, those in any other section of the textile industry

as a whole. In this branch of the clothing industry, fringe benefits

given by certain firms include free accommodation, free food or food

allowances, Chinese New Year bonuses, good attendance bonuses, and paid

rest-days. Monthly rates of pay for men employed in supervisory capaci- ties as foremen or quality-control examiners are generally slightly

higher than those for women but no differentiation is made in piece

rates. In the clothing industry, where only a short period of in-plant

training is necessary, trainees receive wages equivalent to or slightly less than unskilled workers until they have acquired the necessary

skill in their trades.

3.

I.

General information on clothing industry in Hong Kong: Structure of Industry

1. According to a breakdown of registered and recorded industrial

undertakings as at 30th September, 1966, the size of establish-

ment in the clothing industry by number of persons employed

is in Table A attached.

12.

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