Looking up: Secretary for Labour & Welfare Matthew Cheung says the job situation has improved with the September-November jobless rate falling to 4.9%.

Employment growth continued in the October-December period with the jobless rate falling to 4.9% from 5.1% in September-November, the Census & Statistics Department says. The underemployment rate also dropped, from 2.5% to 2.3%.

The number of unemployed dropped from 181,000 to 172,800, while the number of underemployed fell from 90,200 to 84,500.

Decreases in the unemployment rate were mainly observed in the import-export trade, foundation and superstructure, financing and accommodation services sectors. For the underemployment rate, drops were mainly seen in the construction and cleaning sectors.