Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that both the general unemployment rate (1.9%) and the unemployment rate of local residents (2.6%) for February-April 2018 held stable as in the previous period (January-March 2018). The underemployment rate was 0.5%, down by 0.1 percentage point.

Total labour force was 388,900 and the labour force participation rate was 70.5%. Total employment was 381,500 and number of employed residents totalled 280,800, up by 1,000 and 700 respectively from the previous period. Analysed by industry, employment in the Construction Sector and Retail Trade registered increases while that in Gaming & Junket Activities decreased.

Number of the unemployed was 7,400, down by 100 from the previous period. Fresh labour force entrants searching for their first job accounted for 5.1% of the total unemployed, down by 1.7 percentage points.

In comparison with February-April 2017, the labour force participation rate and the unemployment rate dropped by 0.6 and 0.1 percentage points respectively, while the underemployment rate remained unchanged.