Pedestrians walk across a road in front of commuter trams in Hong Kong on May 11, 2021. (ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP)
HONG KONG – Hong Kong's jobless rate continued to drop over the past three months amid a sustained economic recovery, official data showed Wednesday.
The unemployment rate in the global financial hub stood at 5 percent during the May-July period, down from 5.5 percent seen in between April and June, the Census and Statistics Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government said in a report.
READ MORE: HK jobless rate jumps to 6.4%, highest in nearly 16 years
Looking ahead, Secretary for Labor and Welfare Law Chi-kwong said the labor market should continue to improve along with the economic recovery but still cautioned against threats from the spreading of more infectious COVID-19 variants in many places around the world.
The underemployment rate also went down from 2.5 percent to 2.4 percent during the same period.
Most sectors saw improved employment situations. In particular, the jobless rate of the consumption- and tourism-related sectors combined, including retail, accommodation and food services, fell by 0.9 percentage point to 7.6 percent.
Looking ahead, Secretary for Labor and Welfare Law Chi-kwong said the labor market should continue to improve along with the economic recovery but still cautioned against threats from the spreading of more infectious COVID-19 variants in many places around the world.
Law urged the public to strive together towards more widespread vaccination in a bid to strengthen the foundation for continued recovery in the economy and further improvement in the labor market.
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