ENG-2004 — Page 184

150 Employment

matching services are provided to assist those in need to enter/re-enter the labour market.

During the year, the Employees Retraining Board offered over 118 000 training places to assist eligible workers, especially those who were displaced or unemployed, to re-enter the labour market.

At the same time, the Government recognises the need to promote good employer-employee relations, enhance the rights and benefits of employees in a way commensurate with Hong Kong's socio-economic development, and protect the safety and health of employees at work.

Labour Market Situation

In the fourth quarter of 2004, Hong Kong's labour force grew by 1.5 per cent over the corresponding period of 2003. The labour force stood at 3.6 million, of whom 55.3 per cent were males and 44.7 per cent were females.

Of those employed, the majority, 85.6 per cent, were engaged in the service sectors 31.6 per cent in wholesale, retail and import/export trades, restaurants and hotels; 27.5 per cent in community, social and personal services; 15.1 per cent in financing, insurance, real estate and business services; and 11.4 per cent in transport, storage and communications. Only 5 per cent worked in the manufacturing sector.

Owing to a structural shift in employment during the past decade, the number of persons engaged in the service sectors is now over 10 times as many as in the manufacturing sector. In December 2004, 2 067 300 persons were engaged in selected industries in the service sectors, which was 4 per cent higher than the corresponding figure in 2003. Only 165 300 persons were engaged in the manufacturing sector, a decrease of 1.8 per cent compared with a year earlier.

The printing and publishing industry was the largest manufacturing industry, engaging 36 800 persons in December 2004, followed by the wearing apparel industry (excluding footwear), the textiles industries and food manufacturing industry, which engaged 22 500, 20 000 and 19 400 persons, respectively. Details of the distribution of establishments and persons engaged by selected major industry groups are given in the Appendices.

Employment Situation

The labour market further improved in 2004, underpinned by a sustained pick- up in economic activities. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased from 7.4 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2003 to 6.5 per cent in the corresponding period of 2004, while the underemployment rate dropped from 3.3 per cent to 3.1 per cent. Vacancies registered with the Labour Department from the private sector rose from 215 430 in 2003 to 297 186 in 2004. Total employment increased by around 78 100, from 3 250 400 in the fourth quarter of 2003 to a new high of 3 328 500 in the fourth quarter of 2004.