According to the results of the 2019 Annual Survey of Economic Activities – Transportation, Storage and Courier Services Sector released today (November 27) by the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD), total receipts (comprising business receipts and other income) of the transportation, storage and courier services sector amounted to $549.3 billion in 2019, representing a mild decrease of 0.2% compared with 2018; on a per establishment basis, total receipts decreased by 1.6% compared with 2018 to $21.1 million in 2019.
 
     Operating expenses and compensation of employees of this sector altogether amounted to $488.8 billion in 2019, representing an increase of 1.8% compared with 2018; on a per establishment basis, they increased slightly by 0.5% compared with 2018 to $18.8 million in 2019.
 
     Gross surplus of the sector, which is equal to total receipts less operating expenses and compensation of employees, decreased by 14.4% compared with 2018 to $60.6 billion in 2019; on a per establishment basis, gross surplus decreased from $2.8 million in 2018 to $2.3 million in 2019. Gross surplus accounted for 11.0% of total receipts of this sector in 2019, decreased by 1.8 percentage points compared with 2018.
 
     Industry value added of the sector, which is a measure of its contribution to Hong Kong's Gross Domestic Product, decreased by 4.5% compared with 2018 to $146.7 billion in 2019; on a per establishment basis, industry value added was $5.6 million in 2019, which decreased by 5.7% compared with 2018.
 
     According to the survey results, it was estimated that the sector comprised some 26 000 establishments and engaged about 228 800 persons, or an average of 8.8 persons per establishment, in 2019.
 
     Within the transportation, storage and courier services sector, the five largest industry groupings in terms of industry value added in 2019 were (1) air transport and service activities incidental to air transportation; (2) land passenger transport; (3) other transportation support activities; (4) land freight transport; and (5) cross-border water transport. They together accounted for 83.5% of the industry value added of the sector.
 
     In the air transport and service activities incidental to air transportation industry, total receipts amounted to $161.5 billion while operating expenses and compensation of employees totalled $136.2 billion in 2019. Gross surplus decreased from $31.5 billion in 2018 to $25.3 billion in 2019, accounting for 15.7% of total receipts in 2019. Industry value added decreased by 7.6% compared with 2018 to $58.3 billion.
 
     In the land passenger transport industry, total receipts amounted to $58.2 billion while operating expenses and compensation of employees totalled $46.6 billion in 2019. Gross surplus decreased from $16.3 billion in 2018 to $11.6 billion in 2019, accounting for 19.9% of total receipts in 2019. Industry value added decreased by 10.8% compared with 2018 to $29.2 billion.
 
     In the other transportation support activities industry which comprised mainly cargo forwarders and shipbrokers, total receipts amounted to $126.3 billion while operating expenses and compensation of employees totalled $120.3 billion in 2019. Gross surplus increased from $5.9 billion in 2018 to $6.1 billion in 2019, accounting for 4.8% of total receipts in 2019. Industry value added decreased by 3.2% compared with 2018 to $14.9 billion.
 
     In the land freight transport industry, total receipts amounted to $23.3 billion while operating expenses and compensation of employees totalled $20.8 billion in 2019. Gross surplus decreased from $2.6 billion in 2018 to $2.5 billion in 2019, accounting for 10.8% of total receipts in 2019. Industry value added decreased by 1.7% compared with 2018 to $10.4 billion.
 
     In the cross-border water transport industry, total receipts amounted to $109.2 billion while operating expenses and compensation of employees totalled $106.4 billion in 2019. Gross surplus increased from $2.3 billion in 2018 to $2.8 billion in 2019, accounting for 2.5% of total receipts in 2019. Industry value added increased considerably by 26.8% compared with 2018 to $9.6 billion.
 
     Selected statistics for the transportation, storage and courier services sector are shown in the attached table.
 
     More detailed survey results on the transportation, storage and courier services sector will be given in the report "Key Statistics on Business Performance and Operating Characteristics of the Transportation, Storage and Courier Services Sector in 2019". Users can download this report (in PDF format) free of charge at the website of C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/hkstat/sub/sp340.jsp?productCode=B1080010) as from end-December 2020.
 
     For enquiries about the key statistics on business performance and operating characteristics of the transportation, storage and courier services sector, please contact the Logistics and Producer Prices Statistics Section of the C&SD (Tel: 3903 7256; Email: transport@censtatd.gov.hk).

Ends/Friday, November 27, 2020
Issued at HKT 16:30

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