Employment survey for October - December 2025

MACAU, January 30 - Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the unemployment rate of local residents (2.3%) for October - December 2025 remained unchanged from the previous period (September - November 2025), while the underemployment rate of local residents held stable at 2.0%.

Among the unemployed residents (6,800), the majority of those searching for a new job were previously engaged in Retail Trade and the Gaming sector. Besides, the proportion of new labour market entrants seeking their first job went down by 3.5 percentage points from the previous period to 10.9% of the unemployed residents. Among the underemployed residents (5,900), the majority were working in the Transport & Storage sector and Real Estate & Business Activities.

The general unemployment rate (1.8%) increased slightly by 0.1 percentage point from the previous period, while the general underemployment rate remained at 1.5%.

Median monthly employment earnings of the employed residents and the employed population in the fourth quarter of 2025 were MOP20,000 and MOP17,300 respectively.

The Employment Survey covers all residential units in the Macao Peninsula, Taipa and Coloane, excluding collective living quarters such as dormitories and care homes for the elderly. Individuals living in these units are included in the survey, and therefore residents of the Macao Special Administrative Region (Macao SAR), as well as non-resident workers, who work in but live outside the Macao SAR are excluded. According to the preliminary estimates from the movement records, an average of about 109,500 Macao SAR residents and non-resident workers worked in the Macao SAR but lived outside the territory during the reference period. The total labour force, consisting of these individuals and the labour force living in the Macao SAR (386,100), increased by 700 from the previous period to 495,600.