Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that both the general unemployment rate (3.1%) and the unemployment rate of local residents (3.9%) for January - March 2023 decreased by 0.2 percentage points from the previous period (December 2022 - February 2023). Besides, the underemployment rate dropped further by 0.5 percentage points to 2.2%.
The labour force living in Macao totalled 370,800 and the labour force participation rate was 67.9%. Total employment was 359,300 and the number of employed residents totalled 281,200, down by 600 and 1,000 respectively from the previous period.
Number of the unemployed decreased by 700 from the previous period to 11,500. Among the unemployed searching for a new job, most of them were previously engaged in the Construction sector and Gaming & Junket Activities. Meanwhile, the proportion of new labour market entrants seeking their first job fell by 2.5 percentage points to 6.8% of the total unemployed.
Number of the underemployed dropped by 1,900 from the previous period to 8,000, with a notable decline in the number of those engaged in Gaming & Junket Activities.
The general unemployment rate (3.1%) and the unemployment rate of local residents (3.9%) in the first quarter of 2023 dropped by 0.4 and 0.6 percentage points respectively from the previous quarter. Total employment decreased by 900 quarter-to-quarter, of which the number of employed residents rose by 100. Analysed by industry, employment in Wholesale & Retail Trade (47,400) and Gaming & Junket Activities (66,400) went down by 1,700 and 1,200 respectively quarter-to-quarter, while that in the Transport & Storage sector (16,800) went up by 2,300.
Median monthly employment earnings of the employed in the first quarter rose by MOP1,400 quarter-to-quarter to MOP17,000; median earnings of those engaged in Gaming & Junket Activities and the Construction sector stood at MOP20,500 and MOP15,000 respectively. Meanwhile, median earnings of the employed residents increased by MOP1,000 quarter-to-quarter to MOP20,000.
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 86,300 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 457,100, an increase of 300 from the previous period.