Unemployment rate during each Party Secretary's tenure
33 Party Secretaries and Chief Executives, ranked by how the unemployment rate changed from their first day in office, next to China over the same months. Politare shows what happened during a tenure; it does not claim the office-holder caused it.
| # | Party Secretary | Country | In office | Total | vs China | Per year | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | N Tung Chee-hwa | Hong Kong | 1 Jul 1997 – 12 Mar 2005 from 1997 | +4.5 pp 1997 → 2004 | +3.3 pp China +1.3 pp | +0.6 pp/yr | |
| 2 | N Vasco Joaquim Rocha Vieira | Macao | 23 Apr 1991 – 20 Dec 1999 from 1991 | +3.3 pp 1991 → 1999 | +2.5 pp China +0.9 pp | +0.4 pp/yr | |
| 3 | N Carrie Lam | Hong Kong | 1 Jul 2017 – 1 Jul 2022 from 2017 | +1.2 pp 2017 → 2022 | +0.7 pp China +0.5 pp | +0.2 pp/yr | |
| 4 | N Ho Iat-seng | Macao | 20 Dec 2019 – 20 Dec 2024 | +0.5 pp 2019 → 2024 | +0.5 pp China +0.0 pp | +0.1 pp/yr | |
| 5 | N Chris Patten | Hong Kong | 9 Jul 1992 – 1 Jul 1997 | +0.3 pp 1992 → 1997 | −0.6 pp China +0.9 pp | +0.1 pp/yr | |
| 6 | N Leung Chun-ying | Hong Kong | 1 Jul 2012 – 1 Jul 2017 from 2012 | −0.2 pp 2012 → 2017 | −0.1 pp China −0.1 pp | 0.0 pp/yr | |
| 7 | N John Lee | Hong Kong | 1 Jul 2022 – now from 2022 | −1.5 pp 2022 → 2025 | −1.2 pp China −0.4 pp | −0.5 pp/yr | |
| 8 | N Fernando Chui | Macao | 20 Dec 2009 – 20 Dec 2019 | −1.9 pp 2009 → 2019 | −1.7 pp China −0.2 pp | −0.2 pp/yr | |
| 9 | N Edmund Ho | Macao | 20 Dec 1999 – 20 Dec 2009 | −2.8 pp 1999 → 2009 | −4.2 pp China +1.5 pp | −0.3 pp/yr | |
| 10 | N Donald Tsang | Hong Kong | 21 Jun 2005 – 1 Jul 2012 | −3.5 pp 2004 → 2012 | −3.5 pp China +0.1 pp | −0.4 pp/yr |
Sorted by total, highest first. Every row is indexed to the last count complete before the first day in office ("from" marks a start that had to move because that count had no data, or because the period cut it); China is measured over the same months. Levels are per cent changes, rates are differences in pp; "per year" compounds levels and divides rates. Tenures with under 12 months, or under three observations, are left out. % of labour force · World Bank, unemployment rate, modelled ILO estimate (SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS): Hong Kong and Macao · province data · as of Jul 2025.