Macau unemployment largely steady in Q1

Total employment decreased to 371,800 in the first quarter of 2025.

Macau.- The Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) has reported that Macau’s general unemployment and resident unemployment rates increased by 0.2 percentage points in quarter-on-quarter terms to 1.9 and 2.5 per cent respectively in Q1. The underemployment rate for residents rose by 0.2 points to 2.5 per cent and the general rate decreased by 0.3 points to 1.2 per cent.

The general and resident labour force participation rates decreased by 0.6 points sequentially to 66.5 and 61.1 per cent respectively. Employment decreased to 371,800, reflecting a reduction of 3,100 positions, while the number of employed residents dropped to 280,200, down by 3,500 from the previous period. The number of unemployed rose by 500 to 7,300.

According to the DSEC, an average of 105,300 residents and non-resident workers worked in the city but lived outside the territory during the period. Including these people, the labour force totalled 484,400, a decrease of 2,700 from the previous period.

Employment in the gaming sector declined by 2,200 to 65,100. The construction sector saw a decrease of 2,000, to 14,000, and employment in retail rose by 2,200 to 29,900. Overall median earnings increased by MOP800 (US$100) to MOP18,800 (US$2,350), while median earnings for residents rose by MOP1,000 (US$125) to MOP21,500 (US$2,687).

Macau visitor numbers rise in Q1

In the first quarter of the year, 9,862,665 people visited Macau. That’s an increase of 11.1 per cent in year-on-year terms. Same-day visitors (5,823,384) rose by 21.5 per cent year-on-year, and overnight visitors (4,039,281) dropped by 1.1 per cent. The average length of stay decreased by 0.1 day year-on-year to 1.1 days.

Mainland Chinese tourists accounted for 7,206,035 arrivals, a rise of 14.5 per cent year-on-year. Those travelling under the Individual Visit Scheme (4,011,208) rose by 15.6 per cent. Some 381,172 visited Macau under the “one trip per week measure” while 97,957 travelled under the “multiple-entry measure”. Mainland visitors travelling under the “tourist group multi-entry measure” totalled 28,671.

See also: Macau Airport sees rise in passengers but cargo volume falls