HONG Kong's unemployment rate in the three months from September to November fell further to 5.1 percent, according to statistics released yesterday by its statistics department.

It was the third consecutive month of falling jobless rate. The rate in the three months ended October was 5.2 percent.

Hong Kong's Census and Statistics Department said the drops were mainly observed in the wholesale, retail, accommodation, food services, decoration and maintenance sectors.

Total employment rose by around 9,300 to 3,497,600. The number of unemployed persons fell by around 9,400 to 181,000 in the three-month period. The underemployment rate rose by 0.1 percentage point to 2.5 percent.

The government said the unemployment situation further improved with the steady recovery of the economy. The unemployment rate of the construction sector, in particular, has dropped for seven consecutive months.

"Total employment reverted to an increase by more than 9,000, indicating that the employment situation has started to recover," said Matthew Cheung, the Hong Kong's secretary for labor and welfare.

"As business activities are expected to pick up around Christmas and the New Year, labor demand is likely to increase further during the festive season, which should in turn ease the pressure on the unemployment rate in the near term," he added.

According to Cheung, the employment situation, especially in the construction sector, was expected to further improve with the commencement of projects like the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge and the expansion of Disneyland.