Macao's jobless rate from July to Sept rises to 2.9%

MACAO - Macao's general unemployment rate for the period from July to September rose 0.1 percentage point to 2.9 percent over the previous period from June to August, the special administrative region's (SAR) statistics department said on Friday.

The latest report from Macao's Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the unemployment rate for local residents was 3.9 percent, up 0.2 percentage point from the previous period.

The underemployment rate rose 0.2 percentage point to 3.9 percent, while the labor force participation rate was 68.5 percent, the DSEC report added.

The labor force living in Macao totaled 386,800 people. Total employment was 375,600 and the number of employed residents totaled 279,200, down by 700 and 400 respectively from the previous period from June to August.

The number of the unemployed rose 600 from the previous period to 11,200. The unemployed people searching for a new job were mostly previously engaged in gaming and junket activities and the construction sector.

Meanwhile, the proportion of new labor market entrants seeking their first job grew 2.4 percentage points to 14.9 percent of the total unemployed.

The number of the underemployed rose 600 from the previous period to 15,000, with the majority working in gaming and junket activities and the construction sector.