ENG-1987 — Page 113

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Employment

THE economy was buoyant throughout the year and this, coupled with a further decline in the unemployment rate, resulted in higher wages in the manufacturing and construction

sectors.

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After allowing for rises in consumer prices, workers' wages increased by 3.4 per cent in real terms during the 12 months ending in September 1987. The overall average daily wage rate for workers was $124, being $149 for males and $109 for females.

Unemployment for the third quarter of 1987 fell to 1.8 per cent, and underemployment to one per cent. A shortage of workers became apparent in some sectors during the latter part of the year.

Hong Kong's resourceful and energetic workforce totals 2.7 million cent are men and 37 per cent are women.

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of which 63 per

This estimate is based on the results of the July-September 1987 General Household Survey. The workers are mainly engaged in: manufacturing, 34.8 per cent; wholesale and retail trade, restaurants and hotels, 23.2 per cent; community, social and personal services, 17 per cent; transport, storage and communications, 8.5 per cent; construction, 8.1 per cent; and financing, insurance, real estate and business services, 6.3 per cent.

According to a survey of Employment, Vacancies and Payroll in the manufacturing sector, conducted in September 1987, 875 250 people were engaged in 50 409 establish- ments. The survey covered working proprietors and partners, employees receiving pay, and unpaid family workers affiliated to business organisations, but excluded out-workers. Some 381 373 people - the largest portion of the manufacturing workforce were engaged in the textile and wearing apparel industries. The electrical industry and the plastics industry were the next two largest employers. Details of the distribution of manufacturing establishments, and of the number of people engaged in them, are given at Appendices 17 and 18.

The bulk of the manufacturing workforce is concentrated in the urban areas of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon and satellite towns in the New Territories. Industrial develop- ment in the New Territories is increasing and 35 per cent of the manufacturing workforce now works there.

Labour Legislation

In 1987, 12 items of labour legislation were enacted to provide for better standards of safety, health and welfare for the workforce. This brings the total number of items of labour legislation enacted in the last 10 years to 135 under the overall policy of achieving a level of legislation on safety, health and welfare broadly equivalent to Hong Kong's neighbouring countries at a similar stage of economic development. The more significant items of labour legislation which came into force during the year were the Protection of Wages on Insolvency (Amendment) Ordinance, which extended the scope of the Protection