HONG KONG Struck by rising joblessness, more Hong Kong people are turning to the Internet to look for work, surveyor Nielsen/Netratings said.

Searches at 30 job sites which the company monitored grew 40 percent in April compared to the same month last year, it said.

"Close to half a million people in Hong Kong visited one (site) in April alone, up 40 percent on the same time last year," the surveyor said in a statement.

"This compares to a growth of only 20 percent in the total active Internet universe over the same period." Unemployment in hong kong has surged to 7.1 percent, another peak in current records. Many restaurants, eateries and retail shops have closed, throwing thousands onto the streets, Reuters reported.

Many people have also suffered pay cuts and pay freezes.