Macao's unemployment rate in the period of May to July this year rose slightly by 0.1 percentage point over the previous period (April to June) to 2.9 percent, according to the figures released Thursday by the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC).

Statistics showed that the unemployed population was 9,800, an increase of 700 from the previous period, with 1,300 (12.9 percent of the total) searching for their first job, up 6.7 percentage points over the previous period.

The DSEC said that the slight increase of the unemployment rate was due to the rising number of job-seekers in the summer holidays. The underemployment rate remained unchanged from the previous period at 1.6 percent.

According to the figures, total labor force was 334,000 during the period of May to July, with labor force participation rate standing at 70.7 percent, up 0.2 and 1.2 percentage points respectively from the previous period and the same period of last year.

The employed population rose by 2,700 over the previous period to 324,000, with increases in the number of persons working in the construction sector and retail trade, but decrease in the manufacturing sector, according to the DSEC.

(China Daily August 29, 2008)