Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that both the general unemployment rate (1.9%) and the unemployment rate of local residents (2.5%) for December 2017-February 2018 increased slightly by 0.1 percentage point from the previous period (November 2017 - January 2018). Meanwhile, the underemployment rate remained unchanged at 0.4%.

Total labour force was 385,500 and the labour force participation rate was 70.2%. Total employment was 378,300 and number of employed residents totalled 278,500, up by 2,300 and 2,100 respectively from the previous period. Analysed by industry, employment in Gaming & Junket Activities and Hotels, Restaurants & Similar Activities registered increases while that in the Transport, Storage & Communications Sector decreased.

Number of the unemployed was 7,200, up by 300 from the previous period. Fresh labour force entrants searching for their first job accounted for 7.7% of the total unemployed, down by 2.2 percentage points.

In comparison with December 2016-February 2017, the labour force participation rate dropped by 0.7 percentage points, and both the unemployment rate and the underemployment rate decreased by 0.1 percentage point.