The Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) released results of the Employment Survey for the first quarter of 2009, of which principal indicators such as the labour force participation rate (72.4%) and unemployment rate (3.8%) have been published in the beginning of May.

Total labour force was 333,000 in the first quarter of 2009, with an employed population of 320,000 and an unemployed population of 13,000. Compared with the previous quarter, total labour force registered a decrease of 3,900, with the number of employed declining by 5,700 and the number of unemployed rising by 1,800.

The majority of the employed population were engaging in Recreational, Cultural, Gaming & Other Services (24.1%) and Hotels, Restaurants & Similar Activities (13.1%). In terms of occupation, most of the employed were Clerks (including casino dealers, floorpersons, betting service operators, etc.) and Service & Sales Workers, accounting for 25.7% and 22.4% respectively.

Median monthly employment earnings of the employed amounted to MOP 8,600 in the first quarter of 2009, up slightly by 1.2% quarter-to-quarter; meanwhile, median monthly employment earnings of the employed residents stayed the same as the previous quarter, at MOP 10,000.

Within the unemployed, 89.5% had worked previously and were searching for a new job, while 10.5% were fresh labour force entrants searching for their first job. With regard to the educational attainment, 32.1% of the unemployed had primary education or lower, 34.0% had junior secondary education and 22.1% had senior secondary education.

For the unemployed that were searching for a new job, analyzed by the industry previously engaged, 23.5% had worked in Recreational, Cultural, Gaming & Other Services and 21.2% in Construction. Analyzed by their previous occupation, 27.5% were Service & Sales Workers and 26.2% were Clerks.