TNAG-1267-FCO40-1616-Economic-situation-in-Hong-Kong-1983 — Page 265

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7.7

The demand for labour also increased slightly(6).

A number of indirect indicators of recent developments in the

labour sector seem to confirm that an improvement in the

employment situation was already on the

way. First, the

number of job vacancies reported to the Labour Department

increased by 23% in the first half of 1983 compared with the

first half of 1982. Since there was a year-on-year decline of

5% in the first quarter, the year-on-year increase in the

second quarter was 52%. The majority of this increase consisted of manufacturing jobs in the garment and electronics

industries. Second, although the number of persons on the register of the Local Employment Service (excluding those on

the Special Register and those seeking Model I pay scale jobs with the Government) increased by 11% in the second quarter of

1983 compared with the same period last year, this represents a slowing down when compared with the rate of increase of 21%

recorded in the first quarter. Moreover, the number of

persons on the register was not large relative to the total

economically active population (7). Third, the number of

labour disputes arising from retrenchment and business failures in the first half was significantly less than in the

corresponding period of 1982. The number of retrenched

workers reported to the Labour Department, at 4 119 in the

first half of 1983, was 51% lower than a year earlier.

/4.8 As

(6) See footnote (5) above.

(7) The average number of persons on the register of the Local Employment Service was 10 599 in the first half of 1983, representing 0.4% of the labour force or 9.6% of the number of persons unemployed.

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