Hong Kong’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in stood at 3.0% in the period from February – April 2023, down from 5.4% during the same period a year ago, according to the latest labour force statistics published by the Census and Statistics Department.

When compared to the previous three-month period, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased by 0.1%.

Analysed by sector and compared with the preceding three-month period, the combined unemployment rate of the consumption- and tourism-related sectors (retail, accommodation and food services sectors) remained unchanged at 4.2% in February - April 2023. Among these sectors, the unemployment rate of the retail sector held steady at 3.8%, while that of the food and beverage service activities sector declined slightly by 0.1% to 4.8%.

The unemployment rates of some sectors also declined, notably those of the decoration, repair and maintenance for buildings sector, the transportation sector and the warehousing and support activities for transportation sector.

Meanwhile, the number of unemployed persons (on a non-seasonally adjusted basis) decreased by approximately 700 from 115,100 in the January - March 2023 period to 114,400 in the February - April 2023 period. Over the same period, the number of underemployed persons also decreased by approximately 2,200 from 46,700 to 44,500.

Total employment increased by approximately 1,800 from 3.654 million in January - March 2023 to 3.655 million in February - April 2023. Over the same period, the labour force also increased by approximately 1,100 from 3.769 million to 3.770 million.

Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Chris Sun, said, “"The labour market continued to improve as domestic economic activities revived further and visitor arrivals rebounded strongly.”

Looking ahead, Sun said, "The labour market should improve further in the coming months alongside the ongoing economic recovery."