The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate edged up by 0.1 percentage point from July-to-September to 3.1% for the August to October period, the Census & Statistics Department announced today.

The underemployment rate declined slightly by 0.1 percentage point to 1.1%.

Total employment decreased by around 3,100 to 3,707,100, while the labour force decreased by 2,200 to at 3,827,900.

The number of unemployed people increased by around 800 to 120,700. Meanwhile, the number of underemployed people dropped by around 3,700 to 42,300.

Secretary for Labour & Welfare Chris Sun said the labour market should remain tight in the near term alongside the continued economic growth, though the employment situation may continue to vary across sectors depending on their business performance.