ENG-2000 — Page 89

THE ECONOMY

tourism. Employment in financing, insurance, real estate and business services rose by 7 per cent, backed by robust growth in data processing and related services within the business services segment. Employment in the wholesale and import/export trades and in water transport, air transport and services allied to transport increased by 5-6 per cent, benefited from the buoyant performance of external trade. Employment in community, social and personal services was also larger, by 3 per cent.

On the other hand, employment in the local manufacturing sector remained slack, contracting further by 6 per cent in September 2000 over a year earlier, after a similar decline in June.

Employment of manual workers at building and construction sites surged by 17 per cent in September 2000 over a year earlier, representing a distinct further acceleration from the increases of 4 per cent in March and 11 per cent in June. Within this total, employment at public sector sites grew strongly, by 14 per cent in September 2000 over a year earlier, largely upon intensification of work on the Priority Railway Projects. Employment at private sector sites showed an even greater leap, by 22 per cent, yet this was partly due to a low base of comparison a year earlier when employment was slashed by 30 per cent. Taking into account off-site workers and related professional and support staff, employment for the building and construction sector as a whole went up by 6 per cent in the third quarter of 2000 over a year earlier, similar to the increase in the second quarter. This relatively moderate overall employment growth for the sector, when seen against the surge in site employment, was probably attributable to a slow-down in new decoration work and continued restraint on employment of support staff.

Chart 12

Employment by broad economic sector

Number ('000)

2500

2000

1500

1000

500

0

Service sectors as a whole

(left scale)

Building and construction sites (right scale)

Number ('000)

100

90

80

70

60

609

Manufacturing sector (left scale)

50

1996 1 1997

MJ SDM JS DM JS D M JSDM JSDM J S

1995

1998 | 1999 | 2000 Employment in the service sectors continued on the rise in 2000, while employment at building and construction sites bounced up strongly upon intensification of work on the Priority Railway Projects. Yet employment in the local manufacturing sector contracted further.

40

10

57