diff --git a/Lib/distutils/unixccompiler.py b/Lib/distutils/unixccompiler.py
index 045368a925d..7556cbdbf51 100644
--- a/Lib/distutils/unixccompiler.py
+++ b/Lib/distutils/unixccompiler.py
@@ -284,7 +284,9 @@ class UnixCCompiler(CCompiler):
             # MacOSX's linker doesn't understand the -R flag at all
             return "-L" + dir
         elif sys.platform[:5] == "hp-ux":
-            return "+s -L" + dir
+            if "gcc" in compiler or "g++" in compiler:
+                return ["-Wl,+s", "-L" + dir]
+            return ["+s", "-L" + dir]
         elif sys.platform[:7] == "irix646" or sys.platform[:6] == "osf1V5":
             return ["-rpath", dir]
         elif compiler[:3] == "gcc" or compiler[:3] == "g++":
diff --git a/Misc/NEWS b/Misc/NEWS
index c44a56d75cc..0f4d90ee463 100644
--- a/Misc/NEWS
+++ b/Misc/NEWS
@@ -322,6 +322,10 @@ Core and Builtins
 Library
 -------
 
+- Issue #6163: Fixed HP-UX runtime library dir options in
+  distutils.unixcompiler. Initial patch by Sridhar Ratnakumar and
+  Michael Haubenwallner.
+
 - Issue #4660: If a multiprocessing.JoinableQueue.put() was preempted, it was
   possible to get a spurious 'task_done() called too many times' error.