Business directory updated

Press, 13 December 1986, Page 36

Business directory updated

PA Wellington The Acting Government Statistician, Mr Ron Welply, has released the results of the department’s first annual update of its business directory. The results showed that of the 1.2 million people engaged in industries other than farming, manufacturers employed 26 per cent of the workforce, retailers 11 per cent and transport and communication. 9 per cent. Banking and financial services employed 3 per cent and fishing just 0.4 per cent. Only 1 per cent of business locations (bases from which work is carried out) employed 100 people or more, but they employed 32 per cent of the total people engaged. The average number of people engaged in all business locations was 9, with the highest average of 132 in the meat industry. The lowest average was two, in the fishing industry. Mr Welply said the department was pleased with the positive response by businesses to this new survey, which would be undertaken in February each year. The annual updating of the directory would mean improved lists of businesses and aggregated non-financial data about them would be available for departmental surveys, he said.