The Census and Statistics Department maintains a computerised Central Register of Establishments which contains information relating to some 410 000 active establishments in Hong Kong. Information kept in the Register is updated on a quarterly basis through feedback from various surveys of the department and administrative returns from relevant government departments. Information in respect of the first quarter of 2018 is now updated in the Register.
 
     The Register serves mainly as the sampling frame for various economic surveys conducted by the department. In addition, many other government departments and private organisations also make use of the disclosable particulars kept in the Register for their surveys, publicity, business promotion, customer classification and research work. These disclosable particulars cover the name, address, type of business and employment size class of the establishments. They are available to the public in the following two forms.
 
20% sample listing
 
     A sample listing containing 20% of the records randomly selected from the Register, together with disclosable particulars of the establishments, is available to users. Users may apply for all or part of the records in the 20% sample listing in writing by providing the following information:
 
* Particulars of the applicant (including name, position, organisation, address, telephone, fax and email);
 
* Details of the project (including name, purpose, expected completion date, and specifications of information required such as industries, employment sizes and districts); and
 
* Medium of delivering the information (e.g. photocopy or CD-R and file format such as Visual FoxPro, Excel or text, if applicable).
 
     The application can be faxed to 2827 2296, emailed to cre@censtatd.gov.hk or posted to the Employment Statistics and Central Register of Establishments Section, Census and Statistics Department, 20/F, Wanchai Tower, 12 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong.
 
     The information can be supplied in the form of CD-R or photocopies at the following rates:
 
* CD-R – a charge of about $1,540 per listing, compiled to the user's requirements (exact amount depending on the complexity of the job concerned);
 
* Photocopies – a ready, standard listing is available for photocopying (in part if desired). A charge of $1.20 per page is levied.
 
Matching operation with specified establishments
 
     Users may apply to conduct matching operations for a list of establishments in their databases and then extract disclosable particulars for the matched establishments from the Register. The matching operation will be done using the application program supplied by the user and conducted on the computing facilities in the Department. Both the name and address of establishment will be used as matching keys.
 
     Users may apply for this service item by submitting a proposal of the matching operation to the department. The proposal should cover the intended use of the information derived from the matching operation, the specifications of the establishment database provided by the user, the details of the matching process and the specifications of the output data.
 
     The information can be supplied in the form of CD-R.  A charge will be levied at the following rates:
 
* a minimum charge of about $4,800 for the service required (exact amount depending on the complexity of the matching operation conducted); plus
 
* $1 per matched record with information supplied to the user.
 
Enquiries
 
     Further details about the above service items can be obtained from the Employment Statistics and Central Register of Establishments Section of the department at Tel: 2582 4760; fax: 2827 2296 or email: cre@censtatd.gov.hk.

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) today (June 11) reported that the outbreak of measles in Okinawa, Japan since late-March is under control and reminded members of the public to undertake continuous vigilance against measles when travelling to other places with high incidence or outbreak of measles.
 
     According to the information from the Government of Okinawa Prefecture, there was an outbreak of measles involving a total of 99 confirmed cases with the index case confirmed on March 20. The last patient in Okinawa did not have any exposure in the community after May 15. Since then, there has been no new case for four weeks, and the Government of Okinawa Prefecture has announced the end of this outbreak of measles.
 
     Meanwhile, measles remain as an endemic infection in many places around the world. In southeast Asia, according to data from the World Health Organization, as of May 11, the 12-month measles incidence (number of cases per million population) has reached 76.9, 61.1, 26.7 and 25.2 in Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand respectively. In Europe, there were marked increases in measles cases in recent months, with the highest 12-month incidence (number of cases per million population) in Greece (255.6), Romania (108.3), Italy (66.6) and France (36.4).
 
     "Vaccination is the most effective way to prevent measles. As the summer vacation is approaching, members of the public who are planning to travel to places with high incidence or outbreak of measles should review their vaccination history and past medical history, especially non-local born people who might not have received measles vaccination during childhood. Information on the history of measles vaccination in Hong Kong is available from the CHP's measles page.
 
     "For those who had received two doses of measles-containing vaccine or confirmed to have measles infection in the past are considered to be immune to measles," a spokesman for the CHP said.
 
     For those with incomplete vaccination, unknown vaccination history or unknown immunity against measles, they are urged to consult their doctor for advice on measles vaccination at least two weeks before departure, as it takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop and provide protection against measles.
 
     Pregnant women and women preparing for pregnancy who are non-immune to measles as well as children aged under one year who are not due for the first dose of Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) combined vaccine under the Hong Kong Childhood Immunisation Programme, are advised not to travel to places with outbreaks of measles.
 
     "If travellers returning from places with high incidence or outbreak of measles develop symptoms of measles (e.g. fever and rash), they should seek medical advice immediately and avoid contact with non-immune persons, especially pregnant women and infants. They should also report their symptoms and prior travel history to the healthcare workers so that appropriate infection control measures can be implemented at the healthcare facilities to prevent any potential spread," the spokesman appealed.
 
     For outbreak news of measles or the latest travel health advice, please visit the website of DH's Travel Health Service. For more information on measles, the public may call the 24-hour health education hotline 2833 0111 or visit the CHP's measles page.

     Business receipts in value terms of all major service industries showed increases of different magnitudes in the first quarter of 2018 when compared with the first quarter of 2017, according to the provisional figures of business receipts indices released today (June 11) by the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD).

     Comparing the first quarter of 2018 with the first quarter of 2017, double-digit increases were recorded in business receipts of the financing (except banking) (+28.7%), warehousing and storage (+17.6%), retail (+14.4%), courier (+13.7%), banking (+11.1%), transportation (+10.8%), accommodation services (+10.6%) and food services (+10.0%) industries.
      
     Analysed by service domain, business receipts of the tourism, convention and exhibition services domain increased by 12.3% year-on-year during the same period, while those of the computer and information technology services domain also increased by 4.0% year-on-year.

     On a seasonally adjusted quarter-to-quarter comparison, business receipts in value terms of most major service industries recorded increases of different magnitudes in the first quarter of 2018 as well when compared with the fourth quarter of 2017. In particular, business receipts of the financing (except banking) industry increased by 12.8% quarter-to-quarter.

     Comparing the first quarter of 2018 with the fourth quarter of 2017 and on a seasonally adjusted basis, business receipts of the tourism, convention and exhibition services domain increased by 7.4%, whereas those of the computer and information technology services domain decreased by 2.4%.

     Table 1 presents the business receipts indices and their corresponding year-on-year rates of change in respect of selected service industries and service domains for the recent five quarters, while Table 2 shows the corresponding quarter-to-quarter rates of change in the business receipts indices based on the seasonally adjusted series.

     The revised figures of business receipts indices for the first quarter of 2018 will be released at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/hkstat/sub/sp70.jsp?subjectID=7&tableID=093&ID=0&productType=8) and relevant publications of the C&SD starting from July 20, 2018.

     Data for compiling the business receipts indices are mainly based on 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 which straddle 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 the tourism, convention and exhibition services domain as an example, it includes all services of hotels and travel agents, and some (those involving visitors as customers) but not all of the services of restaurants, retailers and transport operators.

     The classification of service industries follows the Hong Kong Standard Industrial Classification Version 2.0, which is used in various economic surveys for classifying economic units into different industry classes.

     More detailed statistics are given in the report "Quarterly Business Receipts Indices for Service Industries, First Quarter 2018". Users can download this publication free of charge at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/hkstat/sub/sp70.jsp?productCode=B1080006).

     Members of the public who have enquiries about the business receipts indices may contact the Business Services Statistics Section of the C&SD (Tel: 3903 7267 or email : business-receipts@censtatd.gov.hk).

     Business receipts in value terms of all major service industries showed increases of different magnitudes in the first quarter of 2018 when compared with the first quarter of 2017, according to the provisional figures of business receipts indices released today (June 11) by the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD).

     Comparing the first quarter of 2018 with the first quarter of 2017, double-digit increases were recorded in business receipts of the financing (except banking) (+28.7%), warehousing and storage (+17.6%), retail (+14.4%), courier (+13.7%), banking (+11.1%), transportation (+10.8%), accommodation services (+10.6%) and food services (+10.0%) industries.
      
     Analysed by service domain, business receipts of the tourism, convention and exhibition services domain increased by 12.3% year-on-year during the same period, while those of the computer and information technology services domain also increased by 4.0% year-on-year.

     On a seasonally adjusted quarter-to-quarter comparison, business receipts in value terms of most major service industries recorded increases of different magnitudes in the first quarter of 2018 as well when compared with the fourth quarter of 2017. In particular, business receipts of the financing (except banking) industry increased by 12.8% quarter-to-quarter.

     Comparing the first quarter of 2018 with the fourth quarter of 2017 and on a seasonally adjusted basis, business receipts of the tourism, convention and exhibition services domain increased by 7.4%, whereas those of the computer and information technology services domain decreased by 2.4%.

     Table 1 presents the business receipts indices and their corresponding year-on-year rates of change in respect of selected service industries and service domains for the recent five quarters, while Table 2 shows the corresponding quarter-to-quarter rates of change in the business receipts indices based on the seasonally adjusted series.

     The revised figures of business receipts indices for the first quarter of 2018 will be released at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/hkstat/sub/sp70.jsp?subjectID=7&tableID=093&ID=0&productType=8) and relevant publications of the C&SD starting from July 20, 2018.

     Data for compiling the business receipts indices are mainly based on 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 which straddle 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 the tourism, convention and exhibition services domain as an example, it includes all services of hotels and travel agents, and some (those involving visitors as customers) but not all of the services of restaurants, retailers and transport operators.

     The classification of service industries follows the Hong Kong Standard Industrial Classification Version 2.0, which is used in various economic surveys for classifying economic units into different industry classes.

     More detailed statistics are given in the report "Quarterly Business Receipts Indices for Service Industries, First Quarter 2018". Users can download this publication free of charge at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/hkstat/sub/sp70.jsp?productCode=B1080006).

     Members of the public who have enquiries about the business receipts indices may contact the Business Services Statistics Section of the C&SD (Tel: 3903 7267 or email : business-receipts@censtatd.gov.hk).

     The total gross value of construction works performed by main contractors in the first quarter of 2018 increased by 12.1% in nominal terms over a year earlier to $65.9 billion, according to the provisional results of the Quarterly Survey of Construction Output released today (June 11) by the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD).

     After discounting the effect of price changes, the provisional results showed that the total gross value of construction works performed by main contractors increased by 7.4% in real terms over the same period.

     Gross value of construction works in real terms is derived by deflating the corresponding nominal value with an appropriate price index to the price level in the base period of 2000.

     Analysed by type of construction works, the gross value of construction works performed at private sector sites totalled $19.8 billion in the first quarter of 2018, up by 8.9% in nominal terms over a year earlier. In real terms, it increased by 7.5%. 

     The gross value of construction works performed at public sector sites increased by 13.3% in nominal terms over a year earlier to $23.4 billion in the first quarter of 2018. In real terms, it increased by 8.1%.

     The gross value of construction works performed by main contractors at locations other than construction sites amounted to $22.7 billion in the first quarter of 2018, up by 13.8% in nominal terms compared with a year earlier. In real terms, it increased by 6.6%. Construction works at locations other than construction sites included minor new construction activities and decoration, repair and maintenance for buildings; and electrical equipment installation and maintenance works at locations other than construction sites.

     Analysed by major end-use group, the gross value of construction works performed at construction sites in respect of residential buildings projects amounted to $17.9 billion in the first quarter of 2018, up by 16.2% in nominal terms over a year earlier. Over the same period, the gross value of construction works performed at construction sites in respect of transport projects up by 5.1% in nominal terms to $12.8 billion in the first quarter of 2018.

     On a seasonally adjusted quarter-to-quarter basis, the gross value of construction works performed by main contractors increased by 5.3% in nominal terms and increased by 3.5% in real terms in the first quarter of 2018 compared with the fourth quarter of 2017.

     Table 1 shows the provisional figures on the gross value of construction works performed by main contractors in the first quarter of 2018. Tables 2 and 3 show the revised figures for the whole year of 2017 and the fourth quarter of 2017 respectively.

     Owing to the widespread sub-contracting practices in the construction industry, a construction establishment can be a main contractor for one contract and a sub-contractor for another contract at the same time. The gross value of construction works performed by main contractors covers only those projects in which the construction establishment takes the role of a main contractor, but not projects in which it takes only the role of a sub-contractor. However, sub-contractors' contribution to projects should have been included in the gross value of construction works performed by main contractors for whom they worked.

     The classification of construction establishments follows the Hong Kong Standard Industrial Classification Version 2.0, which is used in various economic surveys for classifying economic units into different industry classes.

     More detailed statistics are given in "Report on the Quarterly Survey of Construction Output, 1st Quarter 2018". Users can download this publication free of charge at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/hkstat/sub/sp330.jsp?productCode=B1090002).

     For enquiries about the survey results, please contact the Construction and Miscellaneous Services Statistics Section of the C&SD (Tel: 3903 6965 or email: building@censtatd.gov.hk).