Hong Kong registers 80 per cent month-on-month rise in vacancies in September even as jobless rate remains high, labour minister says
- Secretary for Labour and Welfare Law Chi-kwong says the substantial growth in vacancies is a sign the job market is stabilising
- But experts say the figure may not portray the real picture, and jobless rate may climb further as the government pulls the plug on relief measures
Hong Kong registered an 80 per cent jump in job vacancies in September over the previous month, as the city’s labour minister pointed to a recovering employment market amid a 16-year high jobless rate of 6.4 per cent.
Secretary for Labour and Welfare Dr Law Chi-kwong said the substantial growth in vacancies was a sign the job market was stabilising, with the Covid-19 pandemic subsiding from its peak. He added that “many economic indicators were starting to bottom out”.
“The number of vacancies received in September this year by the Labour Department from the private sector has increased substantially by about 80 per cent to 78,578, from 43,725 in August,” Law wrote on his official blog on Sunday.
But he also added: “Of course, the jobless figures remain high.”
Hong Kong’s jobless rate for the July to September period climbed to 6.4 per cent, a 16-year high, from 6.1 per cent for the June to August period.
Law said the Labour Department would step up efforts to help workers find jobs through organising more job fairs and retraining.
