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The Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) published today (March 16) the March 2015 issue of the Hong Kong Monthly Digest of Statistics (HKMDS).
Apart from providing up-to-date statistics, this issue also contains two feature articles entitled "New Series of Trade Index Numbers" and "Trading Firms Engaging in Sub-contract Processing Arrangement and Providing Manufacturing-related Technical Support Services".
"New Series of Trade Index Numbers"
Trade index numbers are useful indicators for measuring movements in price and volume of Hong Kong's external merchandise trade. All along, C&SD has adopted a fixed base year in the compilation of trade index numbers, with rebasing conducted every 10 years. In order to provide a better measure of real growth of trade aggregates, C&SD has introduced a new series of trade index numbers compiled using the annually re-weighted chain linking approach to replace the current series compiled under the fixed base approach.
This feature article introduces the concepts and compilation method of the new series of trade index numbers.
For enquiries about this feature article, please call the Trade Analysis Section, C&SD (Tel: 2582 4914).
"Trading Firms Engaging in Sub-contract Processing Arrangement and Providing Manufacturing-related Technical Support Services"
Driven by the open economic policies of China, the economy of Hong Kong has been undergoing structural changes since the 1980s. Among other changes, many Hong Kong manufacturers have relocated their manufacturing processes to the mainland of China (the Mainland). Some import and export firms of Hong Kong also operate factories in the Mainland one after another. Through the sub-contract processing arrangement in the Mainland, Hong Kong entrepreneurs have successfully reduced the costs of manufacturing by taking advantage of the large base of labour and land resources in the Mainland. Many of the firms which have moved their manufacturing processes to the Mainland continue to operate in Hong Kong, in the form of import and export firms. These firms also provide manufacturing-related technical support services, e.g. product design, sample and mould making, and production planning, to the associated manufacturing firms in the Mainland.
Feature articles addressing this subject have been published regularly in this Digest since 1995. This feature article provides the latest information on the related development.
For enquiries about this feature article, please call the Distribution Services Statistics Section, C&SD (Tel: 2802 1367).
Published in bilingual form, the HKMDS is a compact volume of official statistics containing about 140 tables. It collects up-to-date statistical series on various aspects of the social and economic situation of Hong Kong. Topics include population; labour; external trade; National Income and Balance of Payments; prices; business performance; energy; housing and property; Government accounts, finance and insurance; and transport, communications and tourism. For selected key statistical items, over 20 charts depicting the annual trend in the past decade and quarterly or monthly trend in the recent two years are also available. Users can download the Digest free of charge at the website of C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/hkstat/sub/sp140.jsp?productCode=B1010002).
Enquiries about the contents of the Digest can be directed to the Statistical Information Services Section of C&SD (Tel: 2582 4738).
Ends/Monday, March 16, 2015
Issued at HKT 16:00
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