Hong Kong, July 21 (TIWN) Hong Kong's unemployment rate remained the highest in more than 15 years during the past three months as the economy was still struggling against double blows from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and months of social unrest.

The unemployment rate rose further from 5.9 per cent during the March-May period to 6.2 per cent in the April-June period, Xinhua news agency quoted data from the city government as saying on Monday.

Over the same period, the underemployment rate also increased from 3.5 per cent to 3.7 per cent.

"The labour market continued to deteriorate for the second quarter of 2020 as a whole," Secretary for Labour and Welfare Law Chi-kwong said, stressing the two figures stayed at the highest levels in over 15 years and nearly 17 years, respectively.

The consumption and tourism-related sectors saw a combined jobless rate of 10.7 per cent from April to June, much higher than the average level and marking the highest since the SARS outbreak in 2003.