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22-6 NUMBER OF EMPLOYED PERSONS BY INDUSTRY
(person) |  |  |  |  |
Industry | 1990 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998
Manufacturing | 751000 | 534600 | 482100 | 443900 | 391900
Construction | 226000 | 229300 | 269600 | 306200 | 319500
Wholesale, Retail and Import/Export Trades,Restaurants and Hotels | 703200 | 824900 | 887400 | 952200 | 973900
Transport, Storage and Communications | 268400 | 327700 | 331800 | 346400 | 363300
Financing, Insurance, Real Estate and Business Services | 208600 | 341700 | 353600 | 399500 | 419000
Community, Social and Personal Services | 511800 | 609800 | 649500 | 666500 | 705300
Others | 42700 | 37100 | 33800 | 30000 | 28200
Total | 2711500 | 2905100 | 3007700 | 3144700 | 3201000
Note: Employment statistics are compiled separately based on the General Household Survey(GHS) and the |  |  |  |  |
Quarterly Survey of Employment and Vacancies. Each source has its own merits and limitations in |  |  |  |  |
reflecting the employment situation. The GHS estimates are presented here because the omission in terms |  |  |  |  |
of coverage of the employed population is negligible. Besides, individual persons, including multiple |  |  |  |  |
job holders, are counted only once. However, a major limitation of the GHS estimates is that the |  |  |  |  |
respondents might not have reported accurately the industry to which they belong, especially for workers |  |  |  |  |
in the manufacturing sector. With the relocation of some production processes to the mainland of China, |  |  |  |  |
there is a change in the mode of operation of the traditional manufacturing establishments in Hong Kong. |  |  |  |  |
As a result, some of these establishments are more appropriately classified as import/export |  |  |  |  |
establishments if the majority of the production activities are carried out in the mainland of China. |  |  |  |  |
However, this change in statistical classification may not be readily recognized by all the employed |  |  |  |  |
persons, particularly the technicians and craftsmen, of the establishments concerned. Hence, the GHS |  |  |  |  |
employment estimate in respect of the manufacturing sector will be overstated to the extent that some |  |  |  |  |
respondents mistakenly regard themselves as still being engaged in the manufacturing sector instead of |  |  |  |  |
the import/export trades. |  |  |  |  |