Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the general unemployment rate for April-June 2021 was 2.9% and the unemployment rate of local residents was 3.9%, down by 0.1 and 0.2 percentage points respectively from the previous period (March-May 2021). In addition, the underemployment rate dropped by 0.7 percentage points to 3.5%.
The labour force living in Macao totalled 387,000 and the labour force participation rate was 68.3%. Total employment was 375,900 and the number of employed residents totalled 276,400, down by 2,800 and 2,200 respectively from the previous period.
Number of the unemployed decreased by 800 from the previous period to 11,100. Among the unemployed population searching for a new job, most of them were previously engaged in Gaming & Junket Activities and the Construction sector. Meanwhile, the proportion of new labour market entrants seeking their first job increased by 1.0 percentage point to 7.5% of the total unemployed.
Number of the underemployed dropped by 2,700 from the previous period to 13,600, with the majority working in Gaming & Junket Activities and the Transport & Storage sector.
The Employment Survey covers all residential units in the Macao Peninsula, Taipa and Coloane, excluding collective living quarters such as dormitories and care homes for the elderly. Individuals living in these units are included in the survey, and therefore Macao residents and non-resident workers who work in Macao but live outside the territory are excluded. Based on the movement records, an average of about 84,300 Macao residents and non-resident workers worked in Macao but lived outside the territory during the reference period; when including these individuals, total labour force was 471,300, a decrease of 2,900 from the previous period.
In the second quarter of 2021, the general unemployment rate (2.9%) remained unchanged from the previous quarter, while the unemployment rate of local residents (3.9%) fell by 0.1 percentage point. Total employment decreased by 9,000 quarter-to-quarter, of which number of employed residents went down by 5,000. Analysed by industry, employment in the Construction sector (30,800) and Wholesale & Retail Trade (42,700) dropped by 3,400 and 1,100 respectively quarter-to-quarter.
Median monthly employment earnings of the employed in the second quarter increased by MOP200 quarter-to-quarter to MOP15,500, with those working in Gaming & Junket Activities and the Construction sector earning MOP19,800 and MOP15,000 respectively. Moreover, median earnings of the employed residents stayed the same as in the previous quarter, at MOP20,000.