Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that both the general unemployment rate (3.5%) and the unemployment rate of local residents (4.5%) for January-March 2022 increased by 0.2 percentage points from the previous period (December 2021-February 2022). Meanwhile, the underemployment rate dropped by 0.1 percentage point to 2.8%.

The labour force living in Macao totalled 384,500 and the labour force participation rate was 68.8%. Total employment was 371,200 and the number of employed residents totalled 278,900, down by 2,400 and 2,100 respectively from the previous period.

Number of the unemployed increased by 500 from the previous period to 13,300. Among the unemployed searching for a new job, most of them were previously engaged in Gaming & Junket Activities and in the Construction sector. Meanwhile, the proportion of new labour market entrants seeking their first job decreased by 1.5 percentage points to 5.9% of the total unemployed.

Number of the underemployed fell by 500 from the previous period to 10,600, with a notable drop in the number of those engaged in Gaming & Junket Activities.

In the first quarter of 2022, both the general unemployment rate (3.5%) and the unemployment rate of local residents (4.5%) rose by 0.4 percentage points from the previous quarter. Total employment decreased by 5,900 quarter-to-quarter, of which number of employed residents went down by 3,600. Analysed by industry, employment in Gaming & Junket Activities (72,700) and Restaurants & Similar Activities (20,900) dropped by 3,800 and 2,500 respectively quarter-to-quarter, while that in Real Estate & Business Activities (34,700) increased by 1,800.

Median monthly employment earnings of the employed in the first quarter were MOP16,000, with those engaged in Gaming & Junket Activities and the Construction sector earning MOP20,500 and MOP15,000 respectively. Median earnings of the employed residents stood at MOP20,000.

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. According to the preliminary estimates from the movement records, an average of about 87,100 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 471,600, a decrease of 1,300 from the previous period.