ENG-1993 — Page 142

8

EMPLOYMENT

HONG KONG's labour force grew moderately in 1993. In the third quarter, the labour force had grown by 3.7 per cent, compared to the corresponding period of 1992. With a buoyant economy, unemployment and underemployment remained low, at two per cent and 1.3 per cent, respectively, of the labour force.

The territory's employed stood at 2.8 million, of whom 63 per cent were male and 37 per cent female.

Of the employed, 21.1 per cent were engaged in the manufacturing sector and 69.7 per cent in various services sectors 28.9 in wholesale, retail, import and export trades, restaurants and hotels; 11.2 per cent in transport, storage and communications services; 9.4 per cent in financing, insurance, real estate and business services; and 20.2 per cent in community, social and personal services.

A large number of Hong Kong residents now work in China, following the rapid growth of its economic link with the territory in recent years. According to a recent survey, some 52 400 Hong Kong residents work on the other side of the border.

As an industrialised economy, the vast majority of employment in Hong Kong is found in industrial and commercial establishments. As a result of continual expansion during the past decade, establishments in the services sector now employ three times as many workers as the manufacturing sector. In September, there were 243 303 establishments in the services sector employing 1 722 873 persons, an increase of 6.2 per cent in employment over the corresponding period of 1992. In contrast, there were only 39 238 establishments in the manufacturing sector employing 508 133 persons, a decrease of 11 per cent in employment. With this shift in employment, which underlines the economic restructuring underway in Hong Kong, many manufacturing workers have been displaced from their jobs. A scheme involving the injection of $300 million into an Employees Retraining Fund by the government is being implemented to re-train affected workers.

In terms of employment size, the import and export trade is the largest industry group in the services sector, employing 452 262 persons in September. Other major service industry groups include the retail trade, restaurants, and business services, which have an employment size of 198 199, 187 655, and 127 793 persons, respectively.

Despite declining employment, the clothing industry remains the largest manufacturing industry, employing 166 401 persons in September. Establishments in the electronics and textiles industries are the next two largest groups of employers in manufacturing, employing 53 591 and 44 182 persons, respectively.

111