Survey on manpower needs and wages | Average earnings increase during Q1

At the end of the first quarter of 2015 hotels in Macau had 45,817 full-time employees, up by 2.6 percent year-on-year, according to the Survey on Manpower Needs and Wages released by the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC).
The survey indicated that average earnings (excluding bonuses and allowances) of full-time employees in March rose by 8.4 pct to MOP16,430. Restaurants had 25,260 full-time employees, up by 10.9 pct year-on-year, with the average earnings rising by 4 pct to MOP8,850.
One of the other sectors covered by the survey, manufacturing, had 9,399 full-time employees, whose average earnings in March rose by 18.5 pct year-on-year to MOP10,620.
Child-care and elderly care had 1,092 and 641 full-time employees, up by 21.3 pct and 3.7 pct respectively year-on-
year. In March, average earnings of full-time employees in child-care (MOP12,360) increased by 13.6 pct year-
on-year, and earnings of those working in elderly care (MOP12,070) rose by 13 pct.
At the end of the first quarter of 2015, hotels and restaurants had 1,451 and 2,381 vacancies, down by 1,525 and 635 respectively year-on-year. Job vacancies in manufacturing totaled 1,614, recording an increase of 479.
In the first quarter of 2015, the employee turnover rate (4.2 pct) and the employee recruitment rate (4.1 pct) in hotels stood at similar levels, while the job vacancy rate (3.1 pct) stayed relatively low, indicating that manpower availability is remaining stable. In restaurants, the job vacancy rate (8.6 pct) and the employee turnover rate (5.3 pct) decreased by 3.1 and 2.2 percentage points respectively year-on-year, indicating a slight improvement in employee turnover.
As regards vocational training in the surveyed industries, a total of 21,314 participants attended training courses provided by the establishment in the first quarter of 2015.

Unemployment remains at record low

Both the unemployment rate (1.7 pct) and the underemployment rate (0.3 pct) for February–April 2015 remained at a record low, according to DSEC. The total labor force was 405,800 and the labor force participation rate stood at 74 pct. Total employment decreased slightly by 500 from January–March 2015, at 399,000. Analyzed by industry, employment in restaurants and similar activities, as well as real estate and business activities, saw a decrease, while construction registered an increase.