Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that, following the stable economic recovery in 2024, the general unemployment rate and the unemployment rate of local residents for the whole year decreased by 0.9 and 1.0 percentage points year-on-year to 1.8 and 2.4 per cent, respectively, while median monthly employment earnings of the employed population and the employed residents were MOP 18,000 and MOP 20,500, respectively – both up by MOP 500 year-on-year.
In comparison with the third quarter of 2024, the general unemployment rate and the unemployment rate of local residents held stable at 1.7 and 2.3 per cent, respectively in the fourth quarter, whereas the general underemployment rate (1.5 per cent) increased by 0.4 percentage points.
Total employment (378,300) and the number of employed residents (286,000) decreased by 1,000 and 1,700, respectively in the fourth quarter.
Employment in the construction sector (25,100) and retail trade (32,100) fell by 1,600 and 800, respectively quarter-on-quarter, while employment in real estate and business activities (33,700) rose by 1,900.
Meanwhile, the median monthly employment earnings of the employed population and the employed residents stayed at MOP 18,000 and MOP 20,500, respectively in the fourth quarter.
When compared to the previous period (September-November 2024), the general unemployment rate, the unemployment rate of local residents and the general underemployment rate for October-December 2024 remained at 1.7, 2.3 and 1.5 per cent, respectively.
Total employment (378,300) and the number of employed residents (286,000) dropped by 1,000 and 1,300, respectively. By contrast, the number of unemployed (6,700) was similar to that in the previous period. Among the unemployed searching for a new job, most of them were previously engaged in the gaming sector and retail trade.
Meanwhile, the proportion of new labour market entrants seeking their first job decreased by 0.7 percentage points to 13.9 per cent of the total unemployed.
The Employment Survey covers all residential units in the Macau 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 Macau residents and non-resident workers who work in Macau but live outside the territory are excluded.
According to the preliminary estimates from the movement records, an average of about 104,700 Macau residents and non-resident workers worked in Macau but lived outside the territory during the reference period (October-December 2024); when including these individuals in the labour force living in Macau (385,000), total labour force (approx. 489,600) decreased by 1,000 from the previous period (September-November 2024).
Source: DSEC
Photo: John Mukiibi Elijah
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