Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the general unemployment rate for July-September 2021 was 2.9% and the unemployment rate of local residents was 3.9%, up by 0.1 and 0.2 percentage points respectively from the previous period (June-August 2021). Besides, the underemployment rate increased by 0.2 percentage points to 3.9%.

The labour force living in Macao totalled 386,800 and the labour force participation rate was 68.5%. Total employment was 375,600 and the number of employed residents totalled 279,200, down by 700 and 400 respectively from the previous period.

Number of the unemployed increased by 600 from the previous period to 11,200. Among the unemployed searching for a new job, most of them were previously engaged in Gaming & Junket Activities and in the Construction sector. Meanwhile, with fresh graduates entering the labour market, the proportion of new labour market entrants seeking their first job grew by 2.4 percentage points to 14.9% of the total unemployed.

Number of the underemployed rose by 600 from the previous period to 15,000, with the majority working in Gaming & Junket Activities and in the Construction sector.

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. Based on the movement records, an average of about 84,600 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 471,400, an increase of 500 from the previous period.

In the third quarter of 2021, the general unemployment rate (2.9%) and the unemployment rate of local residents (3.9%) stayed steady compared to the previous quarter. Total employment decreased by 300 quarter-to-quarter due to a drop in the number of non-resident workers living in Macao; meanwhile, number of employed residents increased by 2,800. Analysed by industry, employment in Gaming & Junket Activities (80,100) rose by 2,600, while that in Real Estate & Business Activities (31,700) went down by 1,600.

Median monthly employment earnings of the employed in the third quarter were MOP16,000, with those working in Gaming & Junket Activities and the Construction sector earning MOP20,000 and MOP15,000 respectively. Median earnings of the employed residents stood at MOP20,000.