Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the general unemployment rate for July - September 2023 was 2.4%, down by 0.1 percentage point from the previous period (June - August 2023); the unemployment rate of local residents remained unchanged at 3.1%, while the underemployment rate dropped by 0.2 percentage points to 1.6%.

The labour force living in Macao totalled 378,300 and the labour force participation rate was 68.2%. Total employment was 369,300 and the number of employed residents totalled 286,800, up by 3,300 and 1,700 respectively from the previous period.

Number of the unemployed decreased by 200 from the previous period to 9,100. Among the unemployed searching for a new job, most of them were previously engaged in the Construction sector, Gaming & Junket Activities and Hotels, Restaurants & Similar Activities. Meanwhile, the proportion of new labour market entrants seeking their first job dropped by 0.4 percentage points to 12.3% of the total unemployed.

Number of the underemployed decreased by 800 from the previous period to 5,900, and the majority of them were working in the Construction sector.

In the third quarter of 2023, both the general unemployment rate (2.4%) and the unemployment rate of local residents (3.1%) decreased by 0.4 percentage points quarter-on-quarter. Total employment went up by 7,900 quarter-on-quarter, of which the number of employed residents rose by 4,200. Analysed by industry, employment in Gaming & Junket Activities (71,000), Hotels & Similar Activities (26,100) and Retail Trade (36,000) increased by 2,500, 1,800 and 1,500 respectively quarter-on-quarter, while that in the Education sector (18,800) dropped by 2,000.

Median monthly employment earnings of the employed in the third quarter increased by MOP1,000 quarter-on-quarter to MOP18,000; earnings of those engaged in Gaming & Junket Activities and the Construction sector stood at MOP20,500 and MOP15,000 respectively. Meanwhile, median earnings of the employed residents stayed the same as in the previous quarter, 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 95,000 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 473,400, an increase of 5,000 from the previous period.