Total employment in the private sector rose 2.5% to 2,467,200 in March over the same month last year, while vacancies grew 14% to 56,250, the Census & Statistics Department says.

The import and export trade engaged 521,300 people, followed by the retail trade with 236,800 people, the business services sector with 235,300 and restaurants with 205,600.

Increases in employment were recorded in the financing and insurance (9%), medical, health and related services (6.6%), real estate (5.9%), transport and storage (4.9%), and business services (4.8%) sectors.

But employment in the manufacturing sector fell 3.6%, and dropped 2.5% in the sanitary and similar services sector, and 1.3% in the wholesale trade.

Of the 56,250 private-sector vacancies 8,960 were from the import and export trade, 6,970 from the business services sector, 5,860 from the retail trade, 5,810 from the recreational and other personal services sector, and 5,200 from the financing and insurance sector.

Vacancies surged in the recreational and other personal services sector (60%), business services sector (19%), restaurants (28%), retail trade (15%) and the medical, health and related services sector (42%). However, vacancies in the import and export trade and the real estate both fell 4%.

Analysed by major occupation category, private-sector vacancies were observed mainly for associate professionals (17,010), service workers and shop sales workers (12,160) and clerks (11,430).