Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the unemployment rate for October-December 2012 held stable at 1.9% in comparison with the previous period (September-November 2012); the underemployment rate was 0.7%, down by 0.1 percentage point. Total labour force was 357,000 and the labour force participation rate stood at 72.4%. Total employment reached 350,000, an increase of 500 over the previous period. Analysed by industry, Retail Trade and Manufacturing saw increase in employment, while Construction registered a decrease. Number of the unemployed was similar to the previous period, at 6,600, with 16.1% being fresh labour force entrants searching for their first job, down by 0.6 percentage points. In the fourth quarter of 2012, the general unemployment rate (1.9%) and unemployment rate of local residents (2.4%) decreased by 0.1 and 0.2 percentage points quarter-to-quarter. Total labour force increased by 5,400 quarter-to-quarter, of which total employment rose by 5,800 and the unemployed decreased by 400. Median monthly employment earnings of the employed amounted to MOP12,000 in the fourth quarter of 2012, up by MOP300 quarter-to-quarter, and that of the employed local residents remained unchanged, at MOP13,000. The unemployment rate stood at 2.0% for the whole year of 2012 and the unemployment rate of local residents was 2.6%, both down by 0.6 percentage points year-on-year.
