The Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) released results of the Employment Survey for the fourth quarter of 2009, of which principal indicators such as the overall unemployment rate (3.1%), unemployment rate of local residents (3.7 %), etc. have been published in January. Total labour force was 322,000 in the fourth quarter of 2009, comprising 312,000 employed and 9,900 unemployed. Compared with the third quarter, total labour force registered a decrease of 5,800, with number of the employed and the unemployed decreasing by 3,400 and 2,400 respectively. Analyzed by industry, the majority of the employed were engaging in Recreational, Cultural, Gaming & Other Services (23.4%) and Hotels, Restaurants & Similar Activities (14.2%). In terms of occupation, most of the employed were Clerks (including casino dealers, floorpersons, betting service operators, etc.) and Service & Sales Workers, accounting for 26.0% and 23.0% respectively. Median monthly employment earnings of the employed amounted to MOP9,000 in the fourth quarter of 2009, up by 5.9% quarter-to-quarter; meanwhile, median monthly employment earnings of the employed residents held stable as the previous quarter, at MOP10,000. Number of the underemployed totalled 6,000, with 68.8% engaging in Construction and 13.6% in Transport, Storage & Communications sectors. Within the unemployed, 89.3% were searching for a new job and 10.7% were fresh labour force entrants searching for their first job. With regard to educational attainment, 31.3% had primary education or lower, 30.9% had junior secondary education and 24.8% had senior secondary education. For the unemployed that were searching for a new job, analyzed by industry previously engaged, 36.0% had worked in Construction and 13.4% in Hotels, Restaurants & Similar Activities. Analyzed by previous occupation, 27.6% were Craftsmen & Similar Workers and 24.5% were Unskilled Workers. For the whole year of 2009, median monthly employment earnings of the employed (MOP8,500) and the local residents (MOP10,000) rose by 6.3% and 5.3% respectively over 2008. Starting 2009, DSEC releases annual employment indicators of households. In 2009, average number of employed per household was 1.7 and the median monthly employment earnings per household amounted to MOP15,800.
