The ratio of smoking female workers in the real estate rental, cultural, sports and recreational service industries has been rising over the past three years, according to a report reaching Hong Kong from Taipei on Friday.

According to the results of a survey released on Friday Taiwan's health authority, the overall percentage of female smokers in the workplace has decreased in the past three years.

One in every eight female workers in the real estate rental industry is a smoker, the survey shows.

It was found that the smoking rate among male workers has dropped from 42 percent to 38.5 percent over the past three years, while that among female workers has slid from 4.6 percent to 3.3 percent.

The survey indicates that 16 percent of the respondents work in places that are required by law to be non-smoking, and the percentage of workplaces that have imposed smoking restrictions has increased from 45 percent to 63 percent.

Meanwhile, 45 percent of the respondents support banning smoking in the workplace.

The survey was conducted among a total of 20,045 workers for three consecutive years.

Taiwan's health authority is promoting smoke-free workplaces with the goal of reducing non-smokers' exposure to second-hand smoke by 10 percent in five years.

(Xinhua News Agency November 5, 2005)