Job market pressures, instability weigh on local employees, survey finds

Macau employees continue to face job market pressures and instability this year, with confidence plunging most sharply in employment prospects, job security, and pay, a university survey has found.

The Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) has released the findings of the 19th iteration of its “Macau Employee Confidence and Satisfaction Index,” conducted by the university’s Institute for Sustainable Development. The survey, carried out between March 24 and April 24 this year, collected responses from 852 full-time employees in Macau through questionnaires.

The results indicate that while employees maintain reasonable levels of confidence in their own employers and personal development, they have adopted a markedly more cautious outlook regarding overall job market prospects and employment stability.

According to the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC), Macau’s overall job market continues to recover as the economy rebounds, with unemployment rates having returned to near-pre-pandemic healthy levels.

The latest data show the overall unemployment rate stood at 1.8% from February to April, compared with 1.6% from January to March, while the local resident unemployment rate fell to 2.1%. The median monthly income of employed local residents recently reached MOP22,000, while the median monthly income of the overall employed population stood at MOP18,300.

However, an analysis published last month by the Hong Kong-Macau Financial Information Exchange Association (HMFIA), examining challenges and diversification opportunities amid the gaming industry’s recovery, noted that Macau’s job market is at a critical period of structural transformation.

While the gaming industry’s recovery has driven an overall employment rebound, the decline of the junket room business and the rise of mass-market operations are reshaping the industry landscape. At the same time, employee confidence in job market prospects, job stability, and salary growth has become noticeably more cautious.

“Some of the job growth generated by the gaming industry’s recovery may be temporary or part-time positions, leaving a gap between the current situation and a fully healthy job market,” the analysis stated.

Citing the latest employment survey data, it noted that although the overall unemployment rate has fallen from its peak, it has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels, and the underemployment rate remains a particular concern, reflecting that even employed workers are earning less and experiencing less stability than before.

According to the MUST survey, the 2026 employee confidence index registered at 3.00, a marginal decline of 0.66% compared with the previous year. Performance across the three sub-indices was mixed: confidence in the Macau job market fell by 3.47%, the most pronounced decline, while confidence in one’s own company edged up by 0.96% and personal confidence remained broadly unchanged.

The overall satisfaction index stood at 3.20, a decrease of 1.84% from last year. Among its four constituent sub-indices, job quality increased by 0.95% and personal development held steady, but job stability recorded a sharp drop of 5.52% and remuneration fell by 3.08%, emerging as the primary factors pulling down overall satisfaction levels.

The sharpest confidence drops were recorded in the perceived ease of finding a job, down 4.55%; the five-year employment outlook, down 4.33%; and the likelihood of receiving a pay raise, down 4.17%. Satisfaction with job security plunged 7.08%, the largest decline across all indicators, reflecting heightened employee anxiety over career stability.

However, Macau employees’ confidence in personal development and satisfaction with job quality – including the work environment, social impact, workload, work pressure, leadership recognition, and upskilling opportunities – all improved.

The confidence index’s largest gains included recognition of company leadership, up 4.11%; moderate work pressure, up 4.03%; and upskilling opportunities, up 2.48%. Satisfaction gains were led by the work environment, up 3.10%; work-life balance, up 2.04%; and workload satisfaction, up 1.99%.

The survey also tracked AI for the first time, finding rapid AI penetration in Macau’s workplace alongside rising employee concerns about job displacement. Both AI-related questions recorded significant increases.

Additionally, the survey found that employee creativity is positively linked to a sense of achievement, on-the-job learning, and a moderate workload, with creative employees feeling more appreciated by supervisors and more confident about promotion.

A similar employee confidence and satisfaction survey released last year had already shown a slight downward trend in Macau employees’ overall confidence.

The overall confidence index stood at 3.02 out of a maximum of five points, down 0.66% from 3.04 the previous year. Among the three confidence sub-indices, confidence in the job market fell 2.58%, indicating employee concerns about overall employment prospects and the ease of finding a job. Meanwhile, confidence in one’s own company edged up 0.92%, while confidence in personal development remained largely flat compared with the previous year.