The number of people with jobs in Hong Kong reached a record high of 3.43 million for the October-December 2005 period as the number of jobless declined to its lowest level in 52 months, according to a government press release on Thursday.

Provisional figures from Hong Kong's Census & Statistics Department indicated that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stood at 5.3 percent for October-December 2005, unchanged from September-November 2005. The provisional underemployment rateedged up from 2.4 percent to 2.5 percent.

Comparing October-December with September-November, there were more jobs in the manufacturing, hotels, transport, and sanitary-services sectors.

According to the press release, for 2005 as a whole, the jobless rate averaged 5.6 percent, well below the 6.8 percent in 2004. This was due to faster growth in total employment -- 2.3 percent -- than the 1 percent growth in the total labor force.

Looking ahead, labor demand is expected to stay firm in the run-up to the Lunar New Year, said the department.

(Xinhua News Agency January 20, 2006)