Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the operation of a new tourism and gaming resort lowered the unemployment rate for March-May 2011 to 2.6%, down by 0.1 percentage point from the previous period (February-April 2011), the lowest since the Handover of Macao to China. The underemployment rate was 1.3%, down by 0.1 percentage point. Total labour force was 337,000 in March-May 2011 and the labour force participation rate stood at 71.6%, up by 0.4 percentage point from the previous period. The employed population was 328,000, up by about 3,300 over the previous period. Analyzed by industry, employment of the Gaming Sector saw notable increase, while that of Manufacture of Wearing Apparel registered a decrease. Number of the unemployed decreased slightly by 100 from the previous period to 8,800, with 6.3% being fresh labour force entrants searching for their first job, up by 2.1 percentage points over the previous period. In comparison with March-May 2010, the unemployment rate and the underemployment rate dropped by 0.3 and 0.8 percentage point respectively; meanwhile, the labour force participation rate rose by 0.1 percentage point.
