Job vacancies increased in many sectors in September compared to a year earlier, the Census & Statistics Department says.

Significant increases were registered in the hotels and boarding houses sector (57.5%), real estate (50.5%), business services (28.7%) and the import/export trade (26.9%).

Some increases were recorded in the community, social and personal services sector, business services and real estate. However, employment in most of the sectors surveyed fell.

The import and export trade engaged 489,000 people, followed by the community, social and personal services sector with 414,100 people, retail trade with 207,100 and business services with 192,700.

Employment increases were recorded in the community, social and personal services sector (3.9%), business services (2.3%) and real estate (2.1%).

There were falls in communications services (-14.1%), hotels and boarding houses (-9.5%), manufacturing (-9.1%), restaurants (-8.6%) and construction sites (-8.5%).

For all the selected major sectors taken together, the total number of vacancies in the private sector rose 12.5% to 21,100.

Of these, 4,810 were from the import and export trade, 4,770 from the community, social and personal services sector, 2,430 in business services and 1,760 in financing and insurance services.

Analysed by major occupation, private sector vacancies were mainly observed for associate professionals (7,500), service workers and shop sales workers (4,310) and clerks (4,190).

Some sectors registered falls, such as construction sites (-57.4%), manufacturing (-34.7%) and transport and storage (-12%).