Quarterly Business Receipts Indices for Service Industries for the First Quarter of 2006
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Since the issue of this press release (Quarterly Business Receipts Indices for Service Industries for the First Quarter of 2006) on 13 June 2006, the business receipts index for Q1 2006 for ˇ§financial markets and fund management servicesˇ¨ and the relevant year-on-year and quarter-to-quarter percentage changes have been revised owing to availability of more accurate data. Details are given in Tables (R) (Tables (R) (Text format)).
Last updated on 11 June 2007
Business receipts in value terms of almost all service industries increased in the first quarter of 2006 over a year earlier, according to the provisional business receipts indices released today (June 13) by the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD).
Comparing the first quarter of 2006 with a year earlier, business receipts of the financing (except banking) and insurance industries increased by 52.2% and 35.7% respectively.
The increase in business receipts of the financing (except banking) industry was mainly fuelled by the buoyant local stock market, while that of the insurance industry was mainly attributable to the sustained growth in life insurance business.
Other service industries that recorded more notable increases in business receipts included the business services (+19.8%), banking (+18.0%), transport (+17.4%), hotels (+16.0%) and import and export trade (+10.8%).
On the other hand, business receipts of the real estate industry decreased by 6.3%.
Analysed by service domain, comparing the first quarter of 2006 with a year earlier, business receipts of the tourism, convention and exhibition services domain increased by 14.1%, attributable to the growth in inbound tourism. During the same period, business receipts of the computer and information services domain increased by 21.4%.
Comparing the first quarter of 2006 with the fourth quarter of 2005, and bearing in mind that this comparison might be affected by seasonal factors, numbers of service industries that recorded increases and decreases in business receipts were roughly the same. Among service industries which recorded increases in business receipts, a larger increase was recorded in the financing (except banking) (+19.2%) industry. On the other hand, among service industries which recorded decreases in business receipts, a larger decrease was recorded in the hotel industry (-14.5%).
Table 1 presents provisional business receipts indices for service industries and service domains for the firstˇ@quarter of 2006, while Table 2 shows the time series of the business receipts indices for the recent five quarters.
Data for compiling the business receipts indices are mainly from the Quarterly Survey of Service Industries conducted by the C&SD, supplemented by relevant data provided by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and the Hong Kong Tourism Board.
A service domain differs from a service industry in that it comprises those economic activities straddling different industries but are somehow related to a common theme. It may include all activities carried out by all establishments in a service industry that is closely related to the domain. For a service industry that is less closely related, however, only a portion of the establishments in the industry or even only part of the economic activities of the establishments is related to the domain. Taking tourism as an example, it includes all activities of all hotels and travel agents; and some (those involving visitors as customers) but not all of the activities of restaurants, retailers and transport operators.
Details on the compilation method of the business receipts indices are given in the report 'Quarterly Business Receipts Indices for Service Industries, First Quarter 2006'.
Users can download this publication free of charge at the 'Statistical Bookstore, Hong Kong' (www.statisticalbookstore.gov.hk) of the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD).
Print version of this publication is available for sale at HK$11 per issue if purchased in person at the Publications Unit of the C&SD (Address : 19/F Wanchai Tower, 12 Harbour Road, Wan Chai; Tel. : 2582 3025) or through mail order by completing and returning an order form which can be downloaded from the C&SD's website (www.censtatd.gov.hk/products_and_services/other_services/provision_of_stat/mail_ordering_of_publications/index.jsp); or at HK$9.4 per copy if purchased online at the Statistical Bookstore and the Government Bookstore of the Information Services Department (www.isd.gov.hk/eng/bookorder.htm).
Enquiries about survey results can be directed to the Business Services Statistics Section of the C&SD at Tel. 2802 1269.
Ends/Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Issued at HKT 16:16
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