Nathan Road in Hong Kong's Tsim Sha Tsui area is seen almost empty on Feb 21, 2022, as the city faces its worst COVID-19 coronavirus wave to date. (PETER PARKS / AFP)
Hong Kong’s unemployment rate from November to January stood at 3.9 percent, the same as that in October-December, according to Census and Statistics Department data released on Monday
This is the lowest jobless rate recorded since February 2020, when the local unemployment rate surged to 7.2 percent, but Secretary for Labour and Welfare Law Chi-kwong said the fifth wave of the coronavirus pandemic has begun to weigh on the labor market.
The latest statictis showed that the total number of employed people in Hong Kong declined by 4,200 to about 3.68 million. The city had a labor force of 3.81 million, a decrease of 12,300
“The sixth round of measures under the Anti-epidemic Fund, which are estimated to benefit 67,000 businesses, operators of 40,000 transport tools and 750,000 individuals, should render some support. But the outlook for the labor market will hinge on the development of the local epidemic,” Law said.
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The latest statictis showed that the total number of employed people in Hong Kong declined by 4,200 to about 3.68 million. The city had a labor force of 3.81 million, a decrease of 12,300.
The increase in unemployment was mainly in the catering sector, which has been battered by the pandemic, with the rate growing 0.3 percentage points to 6.2 percent. The jobless rate in the arts, entertainment and recreation sectors went up by 1.3 percentage points to 5.3 percent.
“This is because the worsened local epidemic situation in January hindered activities in these sectors,” Law said.
Meanwhile, unemployment rates in some other sectors declined, including manufacturing, transport, storage, postal and courier services, information and communication.
READ MORE: Hong Kong's unemployment rate falls to 4.1%
Hong Kong’s underemployment rate increased by 0.1 percentage points to 1.8 percent from November to January.
The Labour Department recorded a monthly average of 97,011 vacancies in the private sector, representing a year-on-year growth of 81.2 percent while there was a drop of 9.6 percent over the average figure in the October-December period.
