Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the general unemployment rate for April - June 2023 held steady from the previous period (March - May 2023), at 2.8%; the unemployment rate of local residents was 3.5%, down slightly by 0.1 percentage point. Meanwhile, the underemployment rate remained unchanged at 1.8%.
The labour force living in Macao totalled 371,800 and the labour force participation rate was 67.7%. Total employment was 361,400 and the number of employed residents totalled 282,600, up by 2,100 and 1,400 respectively from the previous period.
Number of the unemployed decreased by 100 from the previous period to 10,400. 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 rose by 2.7 percentage points to 7.3% of the total unemployed.
Number of the underemployed was 6,800, similar to the previous period; the majority of them were working in the Construction sector and the Transport & Storage sector.
The general unemployment rate (2.8%) and the unemployment rate of local residents (3.5%) in the second quarter of 2023 dropped by 0.3 and 0.4 percentage points respectively from the previous quarter. Total employment went up by 2,100 quarter-to-quarter, of which the number of employed residents rose by 1,400. Analysed by industry, employment in Gaming & Junket Activities (68,500) and Hotels, Restaurants & Similar Activities (45,000) went up by 2,100 and 1,900 respectively quarter-to-quarter, while that in the Construction sector (26,800) dropped 1,800.
Median monthly employment earnings of the employed in the second quarter held stable quarter-to-quarter, at MOP17,000; those engaged in Gaming & Junket Activities and the Construction sector earned MOP20,000 and MOP15,000 respectively. Moreover, median earnings of the employed residents stayed the same quarter-to-quarter, at 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 89,600 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 461,400, an increase of 3,300 from the previous period.