Hong Kong's labour market remained largely stable over the past three months, with official data showing the jobless rate remained unchanged at 3.8 percent but underemployment rose slightly.

According to data released by the Census and Statistics Department on Tuesday, the underemployment rate increased to 1.7 percent in the October - December period, up from 1.6 percent in September - November.

The increase was mainly seen in the transport sector and information and communications sector, while the situation improved in cleaning-related industries.

The jobless rate has remained at 3.8 percent since falling from 3.9 percent in the third quarter.

The number of people out of work during the October - December period fell by around 6,200 to 138,200, while the number of underemployed persons rose by 3,900 to 64,800.

Total employment dropped by about 2,900 to 3,667,000, while the labour force decreased by about 9,100 to 3,805,200.

"The continued growth of the Hong Kong economy and the improvement in local consumption sentiment should help stabilise the labour market," Labour Secretary Chris Sun said in comments on the latest data.

"Nonetheless, the employment situations in some sectors may continue to be affected by their challenging business conditions."