Hong Kong’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate inched up to 3.8% in the three months ending August 2026, compared with 3.7% recorded in each of the previous five periods. On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, the jobless rate rose to 4.0% from 3.8%, reflecting higher unemployment across most major economic sectors, with a particularly notable increase in food and beverage service activities.
The number of unemployed persons grew by 8,200 from the previous month to 153,900, while total employment expanded by 4,400 to 3.652 million. Among younger workers aged 20 to 29, the unemployment rate climbed to 9.1% from 8.4%.
The underemployment rate also rose, reaching 1.9% from 1.7%, as the number of underemployed persons increased by 5,900 to 72,100. At the same time, the labor force participation rate edged up to 56.6% from 56.3%, with the labor force growing by about 12,600 to nearly 3.806 million.
