Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the unemployment rate of local residents (2.3%) for March - May 2026 stayed the same as in the previous period (February - April 2026), while the underemployment rate of local residents (2.4%) increased by 0.2 percentage points.
Among the unemployed residents (6,700), the majority of those searching for a new job were previously engaged in Retail Trade, the Construction sector and the Transport & Storage sector. Besides, the proportion of new labour market entrants seeking their first job decreased by 0.2 percentage points from the previous period to 9.3% of the unemployed residents. Among the underemployed residents (7,100), the majority were working in Business Activities and the Transport & Storage sector.
The general unemployment rate remained at 1.8%, while the general underemployment rate (1.9%) rose by 0.2 percentage points.
The methodology and statistical concepts for the Employment Survey (such as the definitions of unemployment and underemployment) are formulated based on the recommendations of the International Labour Organization. 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 111,500 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 (380,800), increased by 200 from the previous period to 492,300.