The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Hong Kong fell to 4.4 percent in the September-November period, the lowest since 2001, according to latest statistics released Tuesday by the Census and Statistics Department.

The jobless rate in the September-November period continued to move down from 4.5 percent in August-October as falls in the jobless rate were mainly seen in the wholesale and retail trades, manufacturing and restaurants sectors, according to the department.

Total employment rose by 12,900 workers to an all-time high of 3,514,300, while the labor force grew from 3,670,300 to 3,675,900, revealed the department's statistics.

The underemployment rate rose from 2.4 percent to 2.5 percent, mainly in the manufacturing, education services, and decoration and maintenance sectors.

The number of jobless people dropped from 168,900 to a 64-month low of 161,700 while the number of underemployed people rose from 89,500 to 90,800.

The unemployment situation continued to improve on the back of robust economic performance, the government said.

The labor market has remained buoyant. In the first 11 months of this year, the Labor Department netted 449,929 vacancies from the private sector, up 13.4 percent over the same period last year.The Labor Department achieved 110,276 job placements from January to November, up 6.1 percent over the same period last year.

The Labor Department said the near-term outlook will mainly depend on the overall business conditions, particularly in job creation in the corporate sector during the Christmas-New Year period.

Source: Xinhua