Macau's unemployment rate stood at 1.8% in May 2026, unchanged from the previous month. The number of unemployed increased by 6,000 to 7.1 thousand, while employment declined by 5,000 to 374.1 thousand. The labour force participation rate edged down to 66.3% from 66.4%, with the labour force decreasing by 6,000 to 380.8 thousand. Participation was lower among women (59.3%) than men (63.6%). By industry, gaming accounted for the largest share of employed residents (25.7%), followed by wholesale and retail trade (12.2%), accommodation and food services (11.2%), and public administration and social security (11.2%). source: Statistics and Census Service, Government of Macao SAR

Unemployment Rate in Macau remained unchanged at 1.80 percent in May. Unemployment Rate in Macau averaged 3.36 percent from 1996 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 7.10 percent in June of 2000 and a record low of 1.60 percent in January of 2025. This page provides the latest reported value for - Macao Unemployment Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news. Macau Unemployment Rate - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on July of 2026.

Unemployment Rate in Macau remained unchanged at 1.80 percent in May. Unemployment Rate in Macau is expected to be 1.80 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the Macau Unemployment Rate is projected to trend around 2.00 percent in 2027 and 2.10 percent in 2028, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-05-29 10:40 AM
Unemployment Rate
Apr 1.8% 1.6% 1.6%
2026-06-30 09:00 AM
Unemployment Rate
May 1.8% 1.8% 1.9%
2026-07-31 10:00 AM
Unemployment Rate
Jun 1.8% 1.80%


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Employed Persons 374.10 374.60 Thousand May 2026
Labor Force Participation Rate 66.30 66.40 percent May 2026
Population 0.69 0.69 Million Dec 2025
Unemployed Persons 7.10 6.50 Thousand May 2026
Unemployment Rate 1.80 1.80 percent May 2026
Wages 18300.00 17300.00 MOP/Monthly Mar 2026
Wages in Manufacturing 12800.00 10000.00 MOP/Monthly Mar 2026


Macau Unemployment Rate
In Macau, the unemployment rate measures the number of people actively looking for a job as a percentage of the labour force.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
1.80 1.80 7.10 1.60 1996 - 2026 percent Monthly

News Stream
Macau Unemployment Rate Holds at 1.8%
Macau's unemployment rate stood at 1.8% in May 2026, unchanged from the previous month. The number of unemployed increased by 6,000 to 7.1 thousand, while employment declined by 5,000 to 374.1 thousand. The labour force participation rate edged down to 66.3% from 66.4%, with the labour force decreasing by 6,000 to 380.8 thousand. Participation was lower among women (59.3%) than men (63.6%). By industry, gaming accounted for the largest share of employed residents (25.7%), followed by wholesale and retail trade (12.2%), accommodation and food services (11.2%), and public administration and social security (11.2%).
2026-06-30
Macau Jobless Rate Edges Up to 1.8%
The unemployment rate in Macau edged up to 1.8% in the three months ending in April 2026, compared to 1.6% in the previous period. The number of unemployed persons increased by 300 from the previous month to 6,500, while total employment declined by 2,400 to 374,600 people. Among local residents, employment gains were mainly recorded in hotels and related activities, as well as transport and storage, while job losses were seen in wholesale and retail trade, real estate and business activities, and gaming. The general labor force participation rate fell to 66.4% from 66.7% in the preceding period. By gender, participation rates among local residents declined for both men (64.1% vs. 64.4%) and women (59.0% vs. 59.3%).
2026-05-29
Macau Jobless Rate Hits Record Low
The unemployment rate in Macau fell to an all-time low of 1.6% in the three months ending March 2026 from 1.7% in each of the previous two periods. Total unemployed individuals decreased by 400 month-on-month to 6,000, while overall employment fell by 2,700 to 377,000. Job gains among residents were recorded in real estate and business activities, and hotels and related services, while employment declined in gaming, wholesale and retail trade, and transport and storage activities. The general labour force participation rate dropped to 66.7% from 67.2% in the previous period. The male participation rate for local residents fell to 64.4% from 65.3%, while the female rate eased to 59.3% from 59.7%.
2026-04-24