Vacancies solicited by the Labour Department from the private sector remain high, with about 1,000 openings received each working day.

Permanent Secretary for Economic Development & Labour Matthew Cheung said as of yesterday, the department had canvassed 17,000 vacancies in total.

The number of people re-entering the labour market is also going up. Last month saw 22,948 job seekers registered with the department, a surge of 71% compared with 13,179 in January.

In the first 19 days of March, there were also 16,657 new registrants, which means an average of 980 job seekers registered with the department per working day. The figure was higher than the daily average of 938 in February and represented a 25% increase compared with 790 in March last year.

Mr Cheung said the economy is rebounding robustly and the unemployment rate has dropped from a record high of 8.7% to 7.2%.

February vacancies up 72%

Vacancies received by the department after the Lunar New Year rose substantially as employers need to recruit staff. Last month, the department received over 23,400 vacancies from the private sector, a hefty increase of 72% over January and 45% over the same period last year.

"This is a record high single-month figure after the Chinese New Year, indicating the labour market is picking up," he said.

Improving the employment situation is always the Government's priority, Mr Cheung said, adding that efforts have been stepped up to offer assistance for the unemployed.

"The challenges are still great as we are facing structural unemployment and the unemployment rate is a lagging figure. The Government will continue to work hand in hand with the community to revitalise the economy and promote employment."