With the relaxation of border measures and a number of events taking place prior to the Lunar New Year, the demand for local manpower increased. Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the general unemployment rate (3.4%) and the unemployment rate of local residents (4.3%) for November 2022 - January 2023 decreased by 0.1 and 0.2 percentage points respectively from the previous period (October - December 2022). Besides, the underemployment rate dropped by 0.7 percentage points to 3.2%.
The labour force living in Macao totalled 373,800 and the labour force participation rate was 68.5%. Total employment was 361,000 and the number of employed residents totalled 282,000, up by 800 and 900 respectively from the previous period. Analysed by industry, employment in the Transport, Storage & Communications Sector increased while that in Hotels, Restaurants & Similar Activities decreased.
Number of the unemployed dropped by 400 from the previous period to 12,800. Among the unemployed searching for a new job, most of them were previously engaged in Gaming & Junket Activities and in the Construction sector. Meanwhile, the proportion of new labour market entrants seeking their first job decreased by 1.2 percentage points to 10.8% of the total unemployed.
Number of the underemployed decreased by 2,500 from the previous period to 11,900, with a notable drop in the number of those engaged in Gaming & Junket Activities.
In comparison with November 2021 - January 2022, the underemployment rate stayed steady; meanwhile, the labour force participation rate dropped by 1.4 percentage points while the unemployment rate rose by 0.2 percentage points.
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 83,600 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 457,400, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous period.