Macao residents’ unemployment rate rose 0.1 percentage point to 5.5 per cent in June-August from the previous employment survey period of May-July.
The Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) said that the city’s general unemployment rate – which is made up of residents and non-resident workers – increased 0.2 percentage points to 4.3 per cent.
The bureau attributed both increases to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the local economy and the rising number of fresh graduates entering the labour market.
In early 2020, before Covid-19 struck, the unemployment figure was just 2.9 per cent.
Macao’s underemployment rate rose 3.1 percentage points to 16.5 per cent.
The number of unemployed rose by 700 from the previous survey period to 16,300. Among those looking for a new job, most previously worked in the gaming and junket sector and the construction industry.
The number of the underemployed grew by 12,000 from the previous period to 62,000, most of them working in the gaming and junket sector, hotels, restaurants and retail.
In comparison with June-August last year, the underemployment and unemployment rates increased 12.8 per cent and 1.5 per cent respectively.
