Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the unemployment rate for July-September 2016 held stable as in the previous period (June-August 2016), at 1.9%; the underemployment rate was 0.5%, up by 0.1 percentage point. Total labour force was 401,800 and the labour force participation rate stood at 72.9%. Total employment increased by 1,600 from June-August, at 394,200. Number of the unemployed was 7,600, up by 200; fresh labour force entrants searching for their first job accounted for 23.7% of the total unemployed, up by 3.2 percentage points. In the third quarter of 2016, both the general unemployment rate (1.9%) and the unemployment rate of local residents (2.6%) remained unchanged as in the previous quarter. Total employment increased by 3,800 quarter-to-quarter, with those aged 16-24 rising by 2,600. Analysed by industry, employment in Hotels, Restaurants & Similar Activities (58,400) and Wholesale & Retail Trade (45,600) rose by 3,300 and 3,200 respectively, while that in Gaming & Junket Activities (80,500) dropped by 3,100. Median monthly employment earnings of the employed held stable as in the previous quarter, at MOP15,000 in the third quarter, with those engaging in Gaming & Junket Activities and Construction earning MOP19,000 and MOP15,000 respectively. Moreover, median earnings of the employed residents stayed unchanged from the previous quarter, at MOP18,000.
