Local unemployment rate grows to 3.9%

Macau’s unemployment rate of local residents was at 3.9% for the period December 2020 to February 2021, a rise of 0.2% points from the previous period of November 2020 to January 2021, the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) has revealed in its latest statistics.
The unemployment rate of local residents was higher than the general unemployment rate of 2.9%, which also displayed an increase of 0.2% points, period-to-period.
The number of unemployed grew by 600 from the previously surveyed period to 11,500. The majority of the unemployed job seekers had engaged in gaming-related activities and the construction industry.
Meanwhile, the city’s underemployment rate increased by 0.1% to 4.5%. The city saw 18,100 underemployed individuals, up 400 from the previous period. Most are currently employed by the gaming sector and transport and storage-related enterprises.
The number of employed people in Macau totaled 386,900, whilst the number of employed residents was 282,600, down by 2,300 and 1,500, respectively, from the previous period.
Overall, the underemployment rate and the unemployment rate in the latest surveyed period grew by 3.7% and 1.0% points, year-on-year, respectively.
Cloee Chao, the president of the New Macau Gaming Staff Rights Association, noted earlier at a media briefing on March 26 that the city’s unemployment rate has been on the rise and urged the government to reinstate consumption cards in due course to help mitigate the financial hardship some people are facing in town.