The unemployment rate will rise further when figures are released this week, a senior official warned yesterday.
Secretary for Economic Development and Labour Stephen Ip Shu-kwan also appealed to graduates not to worry too much about pay when looking for work.
The unemployment rate, which stood at 2.2 per cent in 1997, is now at a record 7.4 per cent, with more than 250,000 people out of work.
Speaking on an RTHK radio programme, Mr Ip said fresh graduates should not hold high expectations but at the same time should not be too pessimistic about finding jobs.
'I think what matters most for the fresh graduates is to learn and to get their first jobs.'
He reiterated that the government would accord priority to employment, but he rejected calls for him to commit to a target unemployment rate to be achieved during Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa's second five-year term. 'I certainly hope that total employment will be achieved one day.'
