Macao’s unemployment rate fell to 1.7 percent in the August to October period, down 0.1 percentage point from July to September, according to new data released by the Statistics and Census Service (known by its Portuguese initials DSEC).
The unemployment rate for locals dropped to 2.3 percent, also declining by 0.1 percentage point. The city recorded 6,700 unemployed locals during the period, with most jobseekers previously working in the retail and construction sectors.
The DSEC noted a substantial decrease in first-time jobseekers, who accounted for 13.9 percent of unemployed residents – a fall of 4.4 percentage points from the prior survey cycle.
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Underemployment also improved. The general underemployment rate fell to 1.4 percent, while the rate for locals eased to 1.8 percent, down 0.1 and 0.2 percentage points respectively.
Among the 5,200 underemployed residents, most worked in real estate and business activities, construction, and transport and storage.
Preliminary movement records indicate that around 108,700 Macao residents and non-resident workers worked in the SAR but lived elsewhere during the period. When combined with the 383,500-strong resident labour force, Macao’s total labour force reached 492,200 – an increase of 1,500 compared with the previous three-month period.
