Unemployment flat at 2.9% in January to March

The number of unemployed persons rose by 5,200 but was offset by labour force growth.

Unemployment levels remained flat at 2.9% in January to March 2018 same as that in December 2017 to February 2018, according to labour force statistics from the Census and Statistics Department.

The number of unemployed persons rose by 5,200 to 112,110 but was correspondingly offset by the growth in the labour force which hit 3,984,400 for the first three months of the year.

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Underemployment also remained unchanged at 1% over the same period.

“"The labour market remained tight in the first quarter of 2018, with both the unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted) and underemployment rate staying low at 2.9% and 1.0% respectively. Total employment showed further sturdy growth on a year-on-year basis,” said Secretary for Labour and Welfare Law Chi-Kwong.

The unemployment situation improved notably in trade and tourism-related segments as inbound tourism recovers, he added.