Unemployment Rate Falls to 4.7%: Statistics Department

Hong Kong’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped to 4.7% for the period between April and June, as compared to 5.1% between March and May, a government news portal said yesterday (July 19) in reference to statistics recently released by the Census & Statistics Department (C&SD).

The department found that the total employment of Hong Kongers in the workforce increased by 17,800 to 3,571,600, while the labour force went up by 5,000 to 3,750,200.

There were approximately 178,600 unemployed people from April to June, with a decrease of 12,800 from the preceding March to May period.

The report added that most economic sectors saw decreases in unemployment and underemployment rates, with the construction sector, retail, accommodation and food services sector and arts, entertainment and recreation sector seeing the greatest decreases.

Secretary for Labour & Welfare Chris Sun was quoted as saying that the labour market has improved between April and June in the face of the relaxation of social distancing measures and a stable local COVID-19 epidemic situation. The government-funded Consumption Voucher Scheme and the 2022 Employment Support Scheme have also helped the employment market, Sun added.

“Looking ahead, the labour market is likely to improve further in the near term as domestic economic activities continue to revive, but the extent of improvement would depend on the local epidemic situation as well as the global and local financial conditions,” a statement from the report read.