MACAO, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Macao's general unemployment rate from December 2019 to February 2020 was 1.9 percent and the unemployment rate of local residents was 2.6 percent, up by 0.2 and 0.3 percentage points respectively from the previous period from November 2019 to January 2020, the special administrative region (SAR)'s statistics service said on Saturday.

File photo: CGTN

Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) also indicated that the underemployment rate increased by 0.4 percentage points to 0.8 percent.

Total labour force was 398,400 and the labour force participation rate was 70.5 percent. Total employment was 390,900 and number of employed residents totalled 283,400, down by 2,200 and 1,300 respectively from the previous period. Analysed by industry, employment in the construction sector and restaurants and similar activities decreased.

Number of the unemployed was 7,500, an increase of 700 from the previous period. The proportion of new labour market entrants seeking their first job decreased by 3.9 percentage points to 10.5 percent of the total unemployed.

Number of the underemployed rose to 3,000 for the first time since May-July 2012, with the majority working in the construction and transport and storage sectors.

In comparison with the period from December 2018 to February 2019, the unemployment rate and the underemployment rate increased by 0.2 and 0.3 percentage points respectively, while the labour force participation rate dropped by 0.3 percentage points.