Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that there were more people looking for work during the Summer Holiday; consequently, the unemployment rate for April-June 2012 increased slightly to 2.1% and the underemployment rate to 1.0%, up by 0.1 and 0.2 percentage point respectively from the previous period (March-May 2012). Total labour force was 346,000 in April-June 2012 and the labour force participation rate stood at 71.9%. Total employment was 339,000, an increase of 1,300 over the previous period. Analysed by industry, employment of the Gaming Sector saw increase, while that of the Transport, Storage & Communications Sector registered decrease. Number of the unemployed increased by 300 from the previous period to 7,200, with 10.2% being fresh labour force entrants searching for their first job, up by 2.3 percentage points. In comparison with the first quarter of 2012, the unemployment rate (2.1%) in the second quarter increased marginally by 0.1 percentage point; the unemployment rate of local residents stood at 2.7%, up by 0.2 percentage point. In the second quarter of 2012, total labour force decreased by 1,000 quarter-to-quarter, with total employment dropping by 1,400 but number of the unemployed rising by 400. Analysed by industry, 26.3% of the employed were working in Recreational, Cultural, Gaming & Other Services, and 15.4% in Hotels, Restaurants & Similar Activities. Median monthly employment earnings of the employed held stable at MOP11,000 in the second quarter of 2012, while that of local residents amounted to MOP12,500, a decrease of MOP500 quarter-to-quarter.
