The true unemployment rate is 11.1 per cent, nearly triple the rate announced by the Government this week, the Hong Kong Catholic Commission for Labour Affairs said yesterday.
The commission said that in its latest survey, 6.3 per cent of 1,041 respondents said they were unemployed and a further 4.8 per cent said they were waiting for work or planned to find work.
The results of the survey, conducted from May 7 to 13 by Baptist University researchers, contrast sharply with the official jobless rate of 3.9 per cent - the highest in 14 years.
The commission said the official figure was flawed because many people were ashamed to describe themselves as unemployed.
The group's survey found that 91 per cent of respondents wanted the Government to take the lead in providing more jobs and 69 per cent wanted it to set up an unemployment fund to help the jobless.
Most had little faith that a new legislative council would improve employment opportunities or increase workers' rights.
