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CONFIDENTIAL
1
Descriptive Note No. 16
Visit of the Secretary of State to Hong Kong
April 1970
Labour Conditions and Social Services
Labour Conditions
Pitse
The Labour Force
Of rather more than 12 million people at work in Hong
Kong, 600,000 arc engaged in the manufacturing industries.
Of these about 228,000 arc employed in weaving, spinning,
knitting and the manufacture of garments and made-up textile
goods. This is the largest single industry in the Colony
and is followed by the plastics and electronics industries.
Wages and Conditions of Work
2. Wage rates are high by Asian standards, and, in general,
conditions of work in Hong Kong are second only to those in
Japan amongst Asian countries.
Over the last decade the
real wages of workers in the manufacturing industries have
risen by an average of 5.7% per annum.
3
The Labour Advisory Board, consisting of representatives
of both sides of industry, has been in existence since 1947.
Its function is to advise the Commissioner of Labour on
matters referred by him to the Board. In general, however,
progress in conditions of employment is the result of
Government initiative rather than trade union pressure.
40 In January 1968, the Executive Council approved in
principle a wide-ranging legislative programme of some thirty
CONFIDENTIAL
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