Macau’s overall unemployment rate and local residents’ unemployment rate in January-March both increased by 0.2 percentage points from the previous survey period (December 2021-February 2022) to 3.5 percent and 4.5 percent respectively, the Statistics and Census Bureau (DSEC) said in a statement today.
The overall unemployment rate comprises local residents and non-resident workers (NRWs).
According to the statement, the labour force living in Macau totalled 384,500 and the labour force participation rate was 68.8 percent. Total employment was 371,200 and the number of employed residents totalled 278,900, down by 2,400 and 2,100 respectively from the previous period.
The number of the unemployed increased by 500 from the previous period to 13,300. Among the unemployed searching for a new job, most were previously engaged in gaming and junket activities as well as in the construction sector..
In the first quarter, both the overall unemployment rate (3.5 percent) and local residents’ unemployment rate of local residents (4.5 percent) rose by 0.4 percentage points from the previous quarter. Total employment decreased by 5,900 quarter-to-quarter, of which the number of employed residents went down by 3,600.
Employment in gaming and junket activities (72,700) and restaurants and similar businesses (20,900) dropped by 3,800 and 2,500 respectively quarter to quarter.
The median monthly employment earnings of the employed in the first quarter stood at 16,000 patacas, with those engaged in gaming/junket activities and the construction sector earning 20,500 patacas and 15,000 patacas respectively. The median earnings of the employed residents stood at 20,000 patacas.
The statement pointed out that its employment survey covers all residential units in the Macau 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 Macau residents and NRWs who work in Macau but live outside the territory are excluded. According to the preliminary estimates from immigration records, an average of about 87,100 Macau residents and NRWs worked in Macau but lived outside the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) during the reference period; when including these individuals, the total labour force was 471,600, a decrease of 1,300 from the previous period.
