Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the unemployment rate for October-December 2013 was 1.8%, down by 0.1 percentage point over September-November 2013; the underemployment rate held stable at 0.4%. Total labour force reached 377,000 and the labour force participation rate stood at 73.2%. Total employment increased by 2,000 from September-November, at 370,000. Analysed by industry, employment in Recreational, Cultural, Gaming & Other Services registrated increase. Number of the unemployed was 6,800, down by 200 from September-November; fresh labour force entrants searching for their first job accounted for 13.6% of the total unemployed, up by 0.8 percentage points. In the fourth quarter of 2013, the general unemployment rate was 1.8%, down by 0.1 percentage point quarter-to-quarter; the unemployment rate of local residents remained unchanged at 2.5%. Total labour force registered an increase of 6,000 quarter-to-quarter, with total employment rising by 6,100 and the unemployed decreasing by 100. Median monthly employment earnings of the employed amounted to MOP12,300, up by MOP300 quarter-to-quarter, while that of the employed local residents held stable at MOP15,000. For the whole year of 2013, the general unemployment rate stood at 1.8% and the unemployment rate of local residents was 2.4%, both down by 0.2 percentage points year-on-year. In 2013, average number of the employed per household held stable at 1.8 and the median monthly employment earnings per household increased by 13.2% year-on-year to MOP24,000.
