Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the general unemployment rate (1.6%) and the unemployment rate of local residents (2.1%) for November 2024 - January 2025 went down by 0.1 and 0.2 percentage points respectively from the previous period (October - December 2024), mainly due to a decrease in the number of the unemployed which resulted from a fall in the number of job seekers amid the Chinese New Year. Besides, the general underemployment rate dropped by 0.2 percentage points to 1.3%.
The labour force living in Macao (382,500) and total employment (376,300) dropped by 2,500 and 2,000 respectively from the previous period, and the number of employed residents (285,000) fell by 1,000. Analysed by industry, employment in Hotels, Restaurants & Similar Activities and the Construction sector decreased, while that in the Gaming sector increased.
Number of the unemployed (6,200) decreased by 500 from the previous period. Among the unemployed searching for a new job, most of them were previously engaged in Retail Trade and the Gaming sector. Meanwhile, the proportion of new labour market entrants seeking their first job went down by 3.1 percentage points to 10.8% of the total unemployed.
Number of the underemployed (5,000) dropped by 700 from the previous period, and the majority of them were working in Real Estate & Business Activities.
In comparison with November 2023 - January 2024, the general labour force participation rate (67.2%), the general unemployment rate (1.6%) and the general underemployment rate (1.3%) decreased by 0.7, 0.6 and 0.2 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 104,900 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 (approx. 487,500) decreased by 2,100 from the previous period.