According to the latest labor force statistics (i.e. provisional figures for March - May 2025) released by the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD), the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased from 3.4% in February - April 2025 to 3.5% in March - May 2025, in line with street consensus. The underemployment rate also increased from 1.3% in February - April 2025 to 1.4% in March - May 2025.

Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Chris Sun, said that compared with the preceding three-month period, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate posted a modest uptick of 0.1 percentage point to 3.5% in March - May 2025. The underemployment rate also edged up by 0.1 percentage point to 1.4%. The labour force and total employment decreased further to 3,800,500 and 3,664,700 respectively.

Looking ahead, Chris Sun forecast that the pace of job creation will continue to be affected by the evolvement of different industries amidst the continuing uncertain external environment and the changing consumption patterns of locals and visitors. Besides, the entry of fresh graduates and school leavers in the coming few months may further impact the overall employment situation.

That said, the government is delighted to see the steady expansion of the Hong Kong economy with real Gross Domestic Product in 2025 forecast to grow by 2% to 3%, and the injection of new impetus to the market by local and non-local operators as reflected by the numbers of registered local and foreign companies having reached new heights in recent months. These positive developments should render support to the labor market and sustain the momentum of Hong Kong's economic development.