Remaining stable: The seasonally adjusted jobless rate in the November-January period stood at 4.4%.

Employment rose to a record high of 3.53 million in the November-January period, while the seasonally adjusted jobless rate stood at 4.4%, the Census & Statistics Department says. The underemployment rate slipped from 2.4% to 2.3%.

Falls in the jobless rate were mainly seen in the foundation and superstructure construction, restaurants, and welfare and community-services sectors, while increases were found in the insurance, retail trade and communications sectors.

For the underemployment rate, falls were mainly found in the decoration and maintenance, and amusement and recreational-services sectors.

Labour force grows

Total employment grew by 13,700 to an all-time high of 3,537,100 while the labour force grew from 3,680,600 to a new high of 3,690,600.

The number of jobless fell from 157,100 to a 68-month low of 153,500 while the number of underemployed dropped by around 3,600 to 86,200.

In January, the Labour Department netted 37,884 vacancies from the private sector, up 26.2% over the preceding month and up 40.6% over January 2006. On average, the department received 1,700 private-sector vacancies on each working day.