Photo shows the Head of the Policy Innovation and Co-ordination Office, Ms Doris Ho (second right), visiting one of the service centres of the 2022 Employment Support Scheme in Tsuen Wan on April 29 to understand its operation. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)
Hong Kong’s private sector saw 53,700 vacancies in March this year, a 36-percent increase year-on-year, according to the Census and Statistics Department.
Data released by the department on Monday show that total employment in the private sector surveyed by the department during the same month dipped by 0.4 percent or 10 200 persons compared with a year earlier.
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Vacancies increased in the industries of human health services (110 percent), education (45 percent), professional and business services (excluding cleaning and similar services) (35 percent), and real estate (49 percent)
In terms of employment total, the import and export trade topped the list, followed by professional and business services, retail trade, financing and insurance industry, education, and beverage services.
Of the 53,700 private sector vacancies, 6,010 were from the industry of professional and business services (excluding cleaning and similar services); 5,980 from education; 5,510 from financing and insurance; 5,050 from human health services; and 4,650 from residential care and social work services.
Vacancies increased in the industries of human health services (110 percent), education (45 percent), professional and business services (excluding cleaning and similar services) (35 percent), and real estate (49 percent).
During the same period, vacancies shrank in the industries of import and export trade (-15 percent), and wholesale (-31 percent).
Vacancies were mainly for service and sales workers, associate professionals, and professionals.
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Drops in employment were mainly seen in manufacturing industries (-6.7 percent), followed by arts, entertainment, recreation and other services (-5.5 percent), construction sites (-4.3 percent), and information and communications (-1.9 percent), and then retail trade (-1.9 percent).
Employment grew chiefly in real estate (4.9 percent), wholesale (4.1 percent), and cleaning and similar services (3.1 percent).
Compared with December 2021, the seasonally adjusted total employment and total vacancies in the surveyed industries decreased by 1.0 percent and 9.4 percent respectively in March 2022.
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