Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that following the completion of a number of construction works before the Lunar New Year, unemployment in Construction increased, bringing the general unemployment rate for November 2016-January 2017 up slightly by 0.1 percentage point from the previous period (October-December 2016) to 2.0%; the underemployment rate was 0.5%, down by 0.1 percentage point. Starting from the current release, DSEC publishes principal employment indicators of local residents on a monthly basis. The unemployment rate of local residents for November 2016-January 2017 was 2.8%, up slightly by 0.1 percentage point.

Total labour force was 389,900 and the labour force participation rate stood at 71.3%. Total employment was 381,900 and number of employed residents totalled 277,900, down by 3,100 and 500 respectively from the previous period. Analysed by industry, employment in Construction and Restaurants & Similar Activities registered a decrease, while that in Gaming & Junket Activities saw an increase.

Number of the unemployed was 7,900, up by 300 from the previous period; fresh labour force entrants searching for their first job accounted for 7.6% of the total unemployed, down by 1.3 percentage points.

In comparison with November 2015-January 2016, the labour force participation rate dropped by 1.3 percentage points; meanwhile, both the unemployment rate and the underemployment rate rose by 0.1 percentage point.