Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that both the general unemployment rate (1.7%) and the unemployment rate of local residents (2.3%) for January-March 2019 held steady from the previous period (December 2018-February 2019). Meanwhile, the underemployment rate (0.4%) dropped by 0.1 percentage point.

Total labour force was 393,600 and the labour force participation rate was 70.4% in January-March 2019. Total employment was 387,100 and number of employed residents totalled 282,000, down by 1,000 and 1,600 respectively from the previous period. Number of the unemployed decreased by 200 to 6,500. New labour market entrants seeking their first job accounted for 8.5% of the total unemployed, up by 1.9 percentage points.

In the first quarter of 2019, the general unemployment rate (1.7%) remained unchanged from the previous quarter, while the unemployment rate of local residents (2.3%) fell by 0.1 percentage point. Total employment decreased by 900 quarter-to-quarter, of which number of employed residents went down by 1,800. Analysed by industry, employment in Real Estate & Business Activities (33,800) and Hotels & Similar Activities (31,400) rose by 1,000 and 1,300 respectively quarter-to-quarter, while that in Retail Trade (31,400) dropped by 2,100.

Median monthly employment earnings of the employed in the first quarter increased by MOP1,000 quarter-to-quarter to MOP17,000, with those engaging in Gaming & Junket Activities and Construction sector earning MOP20,000 and MOP17,000 respectively. Moreover, median earnings of the employed residents stayed the same as in the previous quarter, at MOP20,000.