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| Steady work: The seasonally adjusted jobless rate for January to March remained at 5.2% while the underemployment rate also held stable at 2.3%. |
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The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stood at 5.2% in the January-March period, unchanged from December-February. The underemployment rate also held stable at 2.3% for both periods.
Total employment rose 11,100, to 3.414 million, in step with a rise in the labour force of about 15,300 to 3.605 million.
The number of jobless rose 4,200 to 180,000, while the number of underemployed grew by 500 to 83,000.
A drop in unemployment was seen in the communications, miscellaneous personal services and medical services sectors, while increases were seen in the decoration and maintenance, sanitary services and wholesale and retail trades sectors.
Underemployment rate falls were mainly seen in the manufacturing, welfare and community services and transport sectors, offsetting the rises in the decoration and maintenance and sanitary services sectors.
Labour market active
The Census & Statistics Department said the labour market has recovered from the lull in activity after the Lunar New Year holidays. Total employment rebounded to more than 3.42 million in the January-March quarter.
At the same time, the labour force grew, leading to a slight increase in the number of unemployed.
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained at a 4.5-year low of 5.2%. The near-term outlook would continue to hinge on the overall economic performance and along with it the growth in labour demand, relative to labour supply.
The labour market remained active. In March, the Labour Department netted a record high of 50,044 private-sector vacancies, up 39.1% over the same month last year. On average, around 2,000 vacancies were received each working day.
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