Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that both the unemployment rate (1.7%) and the underemployment rate (0.3%) for July-September 2014 held stable as the previous period (June-August).

Total labour force increased to 398,700 and the labour force participation rate reached 74.0%. Total employment was 392,100, an increase of 3,400 from June-August. Number of the unemployed was 6,600, down by 200; fresh labour force entrants searching for their first job accounted for 26.6% of the total unemployed, up by 3.5 percentage points.

Compared with the second quarter of 2014, the general unemployment rate (1.7%) and the unemployment rate of local residents (2.3%) for the third quarter remained unchanged. Total employment registered an increase of 8,500, with those aged 16-24 rising by 2,900. Analysed by industry, employment in the Construction sector increased by 5,100 quarter-to-quarter to 56,000; employment in Hotels, Restaurants & Similar Activities rose by 2,600, at 55,600.

Median monthly employment earnings of the employed held stable as the previous quarter, at MOP13,000 in the third quarter; median earnings of those engaging in Gaming and the Construction sector amounted to MOP17,000 and MOP13,000 respectively. Moreover, median earnings of the employed residents stood at MOP15,600, up by MOP600 quarter-to-quarter.