The unemployment rate in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) during the April-June period increased to 6.2 percent, the highest in more than 15 years, official data showed Monday.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased by 0.3 percentage points from the 5.9 percent in March-May period this year. Meanwhile, the underemployment rate also increased from 3.5 percent in March-May to 3.7 percent in April-June, data released by the Census and Statistics Department of the HKSAR showed.

COVID-19 has slammed the business environment and labor market in Hong Kong, but pressures began to ease as the pandemic situation has gradually moderated.

"The labor market continued to deteriorate for the second quarter of 2020 as a whole, but the pressure faced by the labor market showed signs of easing towards the end of the quarter as the local epidemic situation abated in May and June ... reversing the downtrend seen in recent periods," said Dr Law Chi-kwong, Secretary for Labor and Welfare, in a statement.

The combined unemployment rate of the consumption and tourism-related sectors rose to 10.7 percent in April-June period, the highest since August-October 2003 after the outbreak of SARS. Also, the unemployment rate of the food and beverage services registered 14.7 percent during the period, nearly the post-SARS high.

Law said uncertainties still exist and the government will continue to closely monitor the pandemic situation.

"The still serious epidemic situations in certain parts of the world, and renewed surge in local cases lately serve as a timely reminder that the economic outlook is still subject to huge uncertainties. The local labor market situation going forward will depend very much on how the global and local epidemic situations evolve." 

"To preserve the vitality of the economy, the Government has rolled out relief measures of unprecedented scale, including a series of measures on job retention and job creation, which help keep workers in employment. The government will continue to monitor the situation closely," he added.

On Monday, Hong Kong's Center for Health Protection reported 73 more confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 66 local infections, bringing its total tally to 1,958.

(Cover: Chungking Mansions, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. /VCG)