Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the unemployment rate (2.0%) and the underemployment rate (0.8%) for July-September 2012 held stable as the previous period (June-August 2012).

Total labour force was 351,000 and the labour force participation rate stood at 72.2%. Total employment reached 344,000, an increase of 600 over the previous period. Analysed by industry, employment of Recreational, Cultural, Gaming & Other Services and the Transport, Storage & Communications Sector saw increase.

Number of the unemployed was similar to the previous period, at 7,000, with 20.8% being fresh labour force entrants searching for their first job, down by 1.1 percentage points.

In the third quarter of 2012, the unemployment rate (2.0%) decreased by 0.1 percentage point quarter-to-quarter; in addition, the unemployment rate of local residents stood at 2.6%, down by 0.1 percentage point.

Total labour force increased by 5,500 quarter-to-quarter, with an increase of 5,700 in total employment and a decrease of 200 in the unemployed. Analysed by industry, 26.4% of the employed were working in Recreational, Cultural, Gaming & Other Services, and 15.8% in Hotels, Restaurants & Similar Activities.

Median monthly employment earnings of the employed (MOP11,700) and local residents (MOP13,000) increased by MOP700 and MOP500 respectively from the second quarter of 2012.