Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the general unemployment rate for January-March 2021 held steady over the previous period (December 2020-February 2021), at 2.9%; the unemployment rate of local residents was 4.0%, up by 0.1 percentage point. In addition, the underemployment rate rose by 0.3 percentage points to 4.8%.
The labour force living in Macao totalled 396,600 and the labour force participation rate was 69.9%. Total employment was 384,900 and the number of employed residents totalled 281,400, down by 2,000 and 1,200 respectively from the previous period.
Number of the unemployed increased by 100 from the previous period to 11,600. 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 0.5 percentage points to 8.7% of the total unemployed.
Number of the underemployed rose by 1,100 from the previous period to 19,200, with the majority working in Gaming & Junket Activities and the Construction 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, Macao residents and non-resident workers who worked in Macao but lived outside the territory were estimated at 83,300; when including these individuals, total labour force was 479,900, a decrease of 2,100 from the previous period.
In the first quarter of 2021, both the general unemployment rate (2.9%) and the unemployment rate of local residents (4.0%) increased by 0.2 percentage points quarter-to-quarter. Total employment decreased by 3,900 quarter-to-quarter, mainly attributable to a decline in number of non-resident workers living in Macao; meanwhile, number of employed residents went down by 100. Analysed by industry, employment in Hotels, Restaurants & Similar Activities (51,500) fell by 3,300 quarter-to-quarter; Wholesale & Retail Trade (43,800) and the Construction sector (34,200) each saw a decrease of 1,700, while Gaming & Junket Activities (78,000) recorded a rise of 1,700.
Median monthly employment earnings of the employed in the first quarter increased by MOP300 quarter-to-quarter to MOP15,300, with those working in Gaming & Junket Activities and the Construction sector earning MOP20,000 and MOP15,000 respectively. Moreover, median earnings of the employed residents grew by MOP1,000 quarter-to-quarter to MOP20,000.