Hong Kong's Census and Statistics Department said the number of jobless people in the city decreased by 12,700 to 126,000 in the last quarter of 2022 and the total employment increased by 8,300 to 3.67 million workers. The rise comes as Hong Kong removed most of its Covid restrictions in the last quarter. The data showed that employment improved for the eighth consecutive month in December with the jobless rate falling to 3.5% in the last quarter from 3.7% in the September-November period. Underemployment also eased slightly to 1.5% from 1.6% in the September-November period. Unemployment fell in almost all major sectors with conspicuous improvements seen in the construction, retail, transportation, and education sectors.