REVIEW
17
and unskilled labour. Competition for employment is very fierce; there is therefore a tendency on the part of workers not to press for higher wages or shorter hours when they are already anxious about their ability to maintain their existing conditions against all-comers. The trade union structure is weak and seriously affected by alien political influences, while joint consultation and other forms of negotiating machinery common in Western countries are still in their infancy. Most of Hong Kong's industry is young; the industrial revolution has taken place since 1947 and throughout the past eleven years an acute shortage of industrial premises has persisted. The majority of establishments are small. In 1958, 66% of them employed less than 20 workers and used 16% of the labour force, as the following table shows:
No. of industrial undertakings
No. of workers employed in each
1-19
Total No. of
workers
3,225
28,780
957
20 50
28,877
326
51
-100
22,297
168
101
- 200
24,411
62
201
- 300
14,121
27
301
400
9,388
17
401
500
7,818
36
501-1,000
23,297
10
1,001 - 2,000
13,976
2
over 2,000
7.032
76 |
temporarily
closed, down
4,906
179,997
These numerous small establishments, which do not include the even smaller concerns operating in squatter areas and elsewhere, are a manifestation of Chinese thriftiness, enterprise, and desire for independence. But generally they are poorly equipped and run. They are under-capitalized and they lack managerial skill. They cannot afford to introduce modern labour-saving machinery, and even if they could, the type of premises in which they operate would, in many cases, preclude this. They are chiefly concerned to keep costs as low as possible, in order to stay in being. With only a small internal market, it has been a question of safeguard- ing export outlets or going to the wall. High rentals have also
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