Unemployment rate remains at 1.8 pct

2013-7-29

From：Macau Daily Times

Macau’s unemployment rate for the two months between April and June remained at a record low 1.8 percent. This is despite more new job-seekers joining the labor force during the graduation season, which added 100 people to the list of the unemployed. The median salary also remained stable at MOP12,000.
Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the unemployment rate for April-June 2013 held stable at 1.8 percent when compared with the previous period (March-May); the underemployment rate was 0.7 percent, down by 0.1 percentage points.
The total labor force reached 364,000 and the labor force participation rate stood at 72.4 percent. Total employment increased by 3,100 from the previous period to a total of 357,500, with a marked increase (+8.8 percent) being observed in the construction sector. Analyzed by industry, the majority were engaging in Recreational, Cultural, Gaming & Other Services (25.7 percent), and Hotels, Restaurants & Similar Activities (15.6 percent).
The number of unemployed people increased by 100 from the previous period to 6,500 in total; fresh labor force entrants searching for their first job accounted for 5.3 percent of the total unemployed, up by 2.3 percentage points.
Median monthly employment earnings of the employed held stable at MOP12,000 in the second quarter of 2013, when compared with the previous quarter. Median monthly employment earnings of the employed residents amounted to MOP14,000, down by MOP500 quarter-to-quarter, as the seasonal effect of the thirteenth month salary, bonuses etc. from the first quarter receded. Moreover, median monthly employment earnings of residents working full-time (35 hours or above per week) stayed at MOP15,000 in the second quarter of 2013.

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