Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the unemployment rate for October-December 2015 held stable at 1.9% as in the previous period (September-November 2015); the underemployment rate was 0.5%, down by 0.1 percentage point.

Total labour force was 400,600 and the labour force participation rate stood at 73.2%. Total employment decreased by 300 from September-November 2015, at 393,100. Analysed by industry, employment in Construction registered decrease.

Number of the unemployed was 7,500, up slightly by 100 from September-November 2015; fresh labour force entrants searching for their first job accounted for 10.8% of the total unemployed, down by 0.9 percentage points.

In the fourth quarter of 2015, the general unemployment rate (1.9%) remained unchanged as the previous quarter, while the unemployment rate of local residents (2.6%) dropped slightly by 0.1 percentage point. Total employment decreased by 1,800 quarter-to-quarter. Analysed by industry, employment in Gaming & Junket Activities (81,300) and Construction (51,100) decreased by 2,900 and 1,800 respectively, while that in Hotels, Restaurants & Similar Activities (57,300) increased by 2,500. Median monthly employment earnings of both the employed (MOP15,000) and the employed residents (MOP18,000) remained unchanged as the previous quarter.

For the whole year of 2015, the general unemployment rate stood at 1.8% and the unemployment rate of local residents was 2.5%, up by 0.1 and 0.2 percentage points respectively year-on-year. Median monthly employment earnings of the employed (MOP15,000) and the employed residents (MOP18,000) rose by 12.8% and 20.0% respectively year-on-year. As regards household employment, average number of employed persons per household was 1.8 in 2015, same as that in 2014; the median monthly employment earnings per household increased by 3.7% year-on-year to MOP28,000.