Hong Kong’s economy contracted by 4 percent in the first quarter, disrupting the growth trend of the previous four quarters. The Hong Kong government adjusted its full-year economic growth forecast to nearly half of the original forecast. The economic contraction coincided with a sharp rise in the unemployment rate to 5.4 percent, the highest level since June last year. Some analysts expect the unemployment rate to deteriorate further. A survey showed that the Hong Kong government followed the mainland’s Zero-COVID Policy and imposed strict travel restrictions and other measures that affected market sentiment and also presented challenges for Hong Kong businesses.
On May 13, the Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department released the first-quarter gross domestic product (GDP). Hong Kong’s real GDP contracted by 4 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of this year. On a seasonally adjusted quarter-to-quarter comparison, real GDP fell by 3.0 percent.