Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the general unemployment rate for March-May 2019 held steady over the previous period (February-April 2019), at 1.7%; the unemployment rate of local residents was 2.4%, up by 0.1 percentage point. Meanwhile, the underemployment rate was 0.4%, down by 0.1 percentage point.

Total labour force was 394,100 and the labour force participation rate was 70.4%. Total employment was 387,200 and number of employed residents totalled 282,100, up by 1,900 and 2,000 respectively from the previous period. Analysed by industry, employment in the Transport, Storage & Communications Sector and Gaming & Junket Activities registered increases, while that in the Construction Sector decreased.

Number of the unemployed was 6,900, up by 300 from the previous period. New labour market entrants seeking their first job accounted for 10.9% of the total unemployed, up by 0.6 percentage points.

In comparison with March-May 2018, the labour force participation rate dropped by 0.4 percentage points, and both the unemployment rate and the underemployment rate decreased by 0.1 percentage point.