On the rise: The jobless rate rose to 5.3% in the February-April period while underemployment  grew to 2.2%.

The unemployment rate rose to 5.3% in the February-April period, from 5.2% in the January-March quarter, the Census & Statistics Department says. The underemployment rate nudged up from 2.1% to 2.2%.

Secretary for Labour & Welfare Matthew Cheung today said the jobless rate was expected to remain high in the short term as labour market demand remained weak under the deepening impact of the economic recession.

Human swine influenza has also emerged as a new source of uncertainty and pressure on the labour market, he added.

Expecting the economy and labour situation to improve alongside the implementation of major infrastructure projects next year, Mr Cheung said the Legislative Council Finance Committee has approved $398.6 million to enhance employment programmes.

Relief package

The Government will announce another round of relief measures within a month, he said, adding this should ease the pressure on employment.

Increases in the unemployment rate were mainly observed in the construction, food services and manufacturing sectors. Rises in the underemployment rate were mainly seen in the construction and wholesale sectors.

Total employment fell by 5,500 to 3,502,100 in the February-April quarter. The labour force grew by 4,100 to an all-time high of 3,699,000.

More unemployed

The number of unemployed grew from 187,200 to 196,900 while the number of underemployed increased from 79,200 to 79,900.

In April the department received more than 45,000 vacancies from the private sector, down 30.5% on the same period last year and 10.1% on March. On average the department received 2,200 vacancies per working day.

It will hold job fairs at Maritime Square in Tsing Yi from May 25 to 27 and at Fu Tung Shopping Centre in Tung Chung on June 5, offering more than 4,000 vacancies.