Unemployment rate drops to 3.7 percent
Hong Kong's unemployment rate has fallen to 3.7 percent. According to government data released on Friday, the jobless rate for the September to November period was 0.1 percentage point lower than the August to October period.  Underemployment also fell by 0.1 percentage point, to 1.6 percent.  The labour situation in the consumption and tourism sectors improved, with a 0.2 percentage point drop to 5 percent. Jobless rates in the food and beverage, and retail sectors also dropped to 5.1 percent and 5 percent respectively. Labour minister Chris Sun said the labour market continued to improve, but tightened financial conditions may partly offset the positive effects in the future. "The near-term labour market outlook will depend on the pace of revival in domestic economic activities. The further relaxation of epidemic-related measures and the Consumption Voucher Scheme also helps," he said in a statement. "It remains vital for the community to work together with the government to continue to contain the epidemic."