Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the unemployment rate of local residents (2.1%) for January - March 2026 decreased by 0.1 percentage point from the previous period (December 2025 - February 2026), while the underemployment rate of local residents remained at 2.1%.
Among the unemployed residents (6,000), 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 2.9 percentage points from the previous period to 6.3% of the unemployed residents. Among the underemployed residents (6,200), the majority were working in Business Activities and the Transport & Storage sector.
The general unemployment rate (1.6%) decreased by 0.1 percentage point from the previous period, while the general underemployment rate remained at 1.6%.
Median monthly employment earnings of employed residents and the employed population in the first quarter of 2026 were MOP22,000 and MOP18,300 respectively.
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 109,900 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 (383,000), decreased by 3,700 from the previous period to 492,900.
