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%).

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%).

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%.