The unemployment rate remained basically flat for the three months from December 2022 to February, according to the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC).
The bureau said the overall unemployment rate stood at 3.3 percent and the unemployment rate for locals was 4.1 percent – decreases of 0.1 and 0.2 percentage points respectively from the period between November 2022 and January. The underemployment rate dropped by 0.5 percentage points to 2.7 percent.
According to the DSEC, total employment fell by 1,100 to 359,900, attributable to a fall in the number of non-resident workers living in Macao. The number of employed residents rose by 200 to 282,200.
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The total labour force living in Macao amounted to 372,100 and the labour force participation rate was 68.3%, the bureau said.
Hopes are high for a recovery in Macao’s labour market as the territory emerges from the pandemic.
In February, grassroots group People Power Macau petitioned the government over stagnant job prospects for graduates. The group’s secretary-general, Lam Weng Loi, said many graduates were still unemployed more than a year after leaving university.
