Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that both the general unemployment rate (2.4%) and the unemployment rate of local residents (3.1%) for August - October 2023 held steady from the previous period (July - September 2023). Meanwhile, the underemployment rate dropped slightly by 0.1 percentage point to 1.5%.

The labour force living in Macao totalled 379,500 and the labour force participation rate was 68.3%. Total employment was 370,500 and the number of employed residents totalled 287,400, up by 1,200 and 600 respectively from the previous period. Analysed by industry, employment in Hotels, Restaurants & Similar Activities and Education increased, while that in Gaming & Junket Activities decreased.

Number of the unemployed was 9,100, similar to that in the previous period. Among the unemployed searching for a new job, most of them were previously engaged in the Gaming & Junket Activities and Hotels, Restaurants & Similar Activities. Meanwhile, with fresh graduates entering the labour market, the proportion of new labour market entrants seeking their first job increased by 2.4 percentage points to 14.7% of the total unemployed.

Number of the underemployed dropped by 300 from the previous period to 5,600, with the majority working in the Construction sector and the Transport & Storage sector.

In comparison with August - October 2022, the labour force participation rate, the unemployment rate and the underemployment rate decreased by 0.6, 1.5 and 5.0 percentage points respectively.

The Employment Survey covers all residential units in the Macao Peninsula, Taipa and Coloane, excluding collective living quarters such as dormitories and care homes for the elderly. Individuals living in these units are included in the survey, and therefore Macao residents and non-resident workers who work in Macao but live outside the territory are excluded. According to the preliminary estimates from the movement records, an average of about 96,800 Macao residents and non-resident workers worked in Macao but lived outside the territory during the reference period; when including these individuals, total labour force was 476,300, an increase of 2,900 from the previous period.