Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the general unemployment rate and the unemployment rate of local residents for May-July 2022 rose by 0.4 and 0.6 percentage points from the previous period (April-June 2022) to 4.1% and 5.4% respectively, owing to the suspension of most industrial and commercial activities during the “relatively static” period amid the latest wave of the pandemic. Besides, the underemployment rate increased by 9.3 percentage points to 13.4%.
The labour force living in Macao totalled 377,000 and the labour force participation rate was 68.2%. Total employment was 361,300 and the number of employed residents totalled 274,000, down by 2,900 and 1,500 respectively from the previous period. Analysed by industry, employment in Hotels, Restaurants & Similar Activities and Gaming & Junket Activities decreased.
Number of the unemployed increased by 1,700 from the previous period to 15,600. Among the unemployed searching for a new job, most of them were previously engaged in Gaming & Junket Activities and in the Construction sector. Meanwhile, with fresh graduates entering the labour market, the proportion of new labour market entrants seeking their first job increased by 1.7 percentage points to 8.7% of the total unemployed.
Number of the underemployed surged by 34,900 from the previous period to 50,600, with the majority working in Gaming & Junket Activities, Hotels, Restaurants & Similar Activities and Retail Trade.
In comparison with May-July 2021, the underemployment rate, the unemployment rate and the labour force participation rate increased by 9.9, 1.2 and 0.3 percentage points respectively.
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. According to the preliminary estimates from the movement records, an average of about 88,000 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 465,000, a decrease of 1,800 from the previous period.