Students walk across a careers sign during a further education
Students walk across a careers sign during a further education and careers fair in Hong Kong.

The Census and Statistics Department said on Thursday (September 17) that the labour force increased by about 12,600 between June-August and May-July, while total employment rose by only about 4,400. The remaining 8,200 people were all counted among the unemployed. The number of unemployed people, before seasonal adjustment, consequently increased from 145,700 to 153,900. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose from 3.7% to 3.8%, while the underemployment rate increased from 1.7% to 1.9%.

Employment did not fall. However, the department’s figures are net figures and do not show how many people were laid off or how many started new jobs. They indicate only that total employment increased, and do not mean that nobody lost their job.

The increase in the labour force during this period is not unique to this year. Figures released by the department in September 2024 and 2025 for the same period show that the labour force also rose from May-July to June-August. The extent to which employment kept pace, however, varied from year to year (all figures below are before seasonal adjustment):

| May-July → June-August | Labour force | Employment | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | +4,400 | Broadly unchanged (−100) | +4,500 |
| 2025 | +15,400 | +9,300 | +6,000 |
| 2026 | +12,600 | +4,400 | +8,200 |

Note: The department’s figures are each rounded to the nearest hundred, so the increase in the labour force may differ by a hundred from the sum of the increases in employment and unemployment.

Of the 15,400 people added to the labour force last year, 9,300, or about 60%, were counted as employed. This year, the figure was 4,400, or about 35%. Employment was broadly unchanged during the same period in 2024. The increase of 8,200 in the number of unemployed people this year was the largest for the three-year comparison. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han had warned when the May-July figures were released on August 20 that the entry of fresh graduates and school leavers into the labour market could put pressure on the unemployment rate. The figures released so far do not show how many of the increase in the labour force came from graduates.

The year-on-year comparison presents a different picture. According to provisional figures released on September 16 last year, employment between June-August 2025 stood at 3,680,600, the labour force at 3,831,600 and the number of unemployed people at 151,000. This year, the three figures were 3,652,000, 3,805,900 and 153,900 respectively. Employment fell by about 28,600, the labour force declined by about 25,700 and the number of unemployed people rose by only about 2,900. On a year-on-year basis, employment contracted; the month-on-month increase of 4,400 occurred from a lower base.

The department said unemployment rates rose in most major sectors between June-August, with a more pronounced increase in accommodation and food services. The rise in the underemployment rate was mainly seen in accommodation and food services and construction, with the number of underemployed people increasing by about 5,900 to 72,100. According to am730, the unemployment rate in accommodation and food services rose from 6.3% to 6.8%, while the rate for people aged 20 to 29 was 9.1%, compared with 7.9% during the same period last year.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, responding on a radio programme to concerns from listeners about imported workers and difficulties finding jobs, said the government would keep a “very close eye” on the importation of foreign labour and that its labour policy prioritised local employment. According to HK01, Social Welfare Department figures showed that the number of Comprehensive Social Security Assistance cases rose by 485 in August from July, reaching 195,258.