Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the general unemployment rate for April-June 2019 held steady from the previous period (March-May 2019), at 1.7%; the unemployment rate of local residents was 2.3%, down by 0.1 percentage point. Meanwhile, the underemployment rate remained unchanged at 0.4%.

Total labour force was 393,800 and the labour force participation rate was 70.4% in April-June 2019. Total employment was similar to the previous period, at 387,200, and number of employed residents increased by 200 to 282,300. Meanwhile, number of the unemployed decreased by 300 to 6,600. New labour market entrants seeking their first job accounted for 11.1% of the total unemployed, up by 0.2 percentage points.

In the second quarter of 2019, both the general unemployment rate (1.7%) and the unemployment rate of local residents (2.3%) held steady compared to the previous quarter. Total employment increased by 100 quarter-to-quarter, with the number of employed residents rising by 300. Analysed by industry, employment in Gaming & Junket Activities (87,100) and the Education sector (17,200) rose by 3,100 and 1,400 respectively quarter-to-quarter, while that in the Construction sector (29,500) dropped by 1,600.

Median monthly employment earnings of the employed in the second quarter decreased by MOP700 quarter-to-quarter to MOP16,300, as seasonal effects of double pay, bonuses, etc. in the first quarter receded; median earnings of those engaging in Gaming & Junket Activities and the Construction sector stood at MOP20,000 and MOP16,000 respectively. Moreover, median earnings of the employed residents stayed the same as in the previous quarter, at MOP20,000.