All-time low: June-August saw the jobless rate at 4.8%, the lowest in five years.

Total employment rose to a record high of over 3.47 million in the June-August period, while the jobless rate fell to 4.8%, the lowest in five years, the Census & Statistics Department says.

Total employment grew by 21,400 to an all-time high of 3.474 million, while the labour force rose by 23,800 to a new high of 3.663 million.

Strong economic expansion helped the jobless rate fall from 4.9% in May-July. Underemployment also fell from 2.6% to 2.4%.

Jobless rate falls were mainly observed in the foundation and superstructure construction, business services, and welfare and community services sectors. As for the underemployment rate, falls were found in the construction (especially decoration and maintenance), sanitary services and manufacturing sectors.

Labour force

The total labour force grew at a faster pace as fresh graduates and school leavers entered the labour market, leading to a seasonal rise in the number of jobless, from 186,600 in May-July to 189,000 in June-August. The number of underemployed fell by 4,400 to 89,000.

Despite the accelerated increase in labour supply during the summer, newcomers have found jobs at a satisfactory pace.

The job market remained buoyant as the Labour Department received 49,477 vacancies in August, up 6.1% on the same month last year. This represented an average of more than 2,100 jobs each working day. For the first eight months of this year, the figure stood at 327,794, up 19.8% on the same period last year.

The department achieved 79,754 placements in the first eight months of this year, up 12.5% over a year earlier.

Job fair

To respond flexibly to employers' recruitment needs and help job-seekers secure employment and retraining opportunities, a job fair will be held September 27 and 28 at Plaza Hollywood, Diamond Hill.

About 70 companies will offer more than 7,000 jobs in property management, catering, retail, telecommunications, banking and financial services.

The outlook for the rest of this year will continue to hinge on the overall economic performance and in particular the corporate sector's capacity to create jobs in the months ahead.