Employment rate remains unchanged with 13,300 jobless
The city’s total employment figure stood at 370,400 and the number of employed residents totaled 278,800 in the February to April period, down by 800 and 100 respectively from the previous period, attributable to decreases in employment in the construction sector and gaming and junket activities.
The number of underemployed people grew by 1,000 from the previous period to 11,600, with the majority working in gaming and junket activities and the construction sector.
The number of unemployed people was 13,300, similar to the figure in the previous period.
This figure is expected to increase following reports in local media that the Million Dragon Hotel has allegedly started to dismiss employees due to “unforeseeable business prospects.”
A letter to employees provided June 26 as their final day of work, the same date that the six gambling concessions were originally intended to end. Earlier this year, the government announced it would extend all concessions until the end of this year on a voluntary application basis.
Meanwhile, the proportion of new labor market entrants seeking their first job increased by 0.3 percentage points to 6.2% of the total unemployed.
It is expected that this number will increase in coming weeks due to the new batch of graduates this summer.
At the University of Macau alone, more than 1,800 students graduated from bachelor’s degree programs at last weekend’s congregation.
The Macau City University, meanwhile, recently saw over 2,000 graduates.
In comparison with the February to April period 2021, the unemployment rate rose by 0.5%, while the underemployment rate and labor force participation rate dropped by 1.8 and 0.5 percentage points respectively.
The labor force living in Macau totaled 383,700 and the labor force participation rate was 69.1%.
According to preliminary estimates from movement records, an average of about 87,800 Macau residents and non-resident workers worked in Macau but lived outside the territory during the reference period.
