Employment in Macau’s gaming industry experienced a drop of 2,200 in the first quarter of 2025, according to data from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC). This mirrors a broader marginal rise in Macau’s unemployment rate for the quarter, where the rates rose by 0.2 percentage points quarter-on-quarter to 1.9 percent. Additionally, unemployment rate of local residents increased for the period by 0.2 percentage points quarter-on-quarter to 2.5 percent.
Restaurant, retail sectors: primary source of new job seekers
The total number of employed people in Macau stood at 371,800, falling by 5,500 when compared to the fourth quarter of 2024. Whereas the number of employed locals registered were 280,200, falling by 5,800 quarter-on-quarter. According to the DSEC, restaurant and retail sectors were the primary source of new job seekers in the December 2024 to February 2025 period. The data has revealed that the number of residents employed in retail increased by 2,200 in Q1 2025, when compared quarter-on-quarter.
Additionally, the DSEC has noted that a spate of double pay and bonuses during the period saw median monthly earnings rise. The employed in general saw their pay hike up by 800 patacas ($99.20), to 18,800 patacas. Whereas locals’ median monthly salary has been hiked by 1,000 patacas to 21,500 in the first quarter. The general underemployment rate and the underemployment rate of local residents rebounded by 0.1 and 0.2 percentage points to 1.2 percent and 1.6 percent, respectively.
Last quarter’s figures
In the previous quarter, employment in Macau’s gaming industry experienced a minor quarterly drop of 0.2 percent, reaching 71,600 workers. According to data from DSEC, the sector accounted for 18.6 percent of the total workforce, reflecting its substantial role in the local economy. Although the decline was minimal, it was smaller than reductions seen in other sectors, such as hospitality and retail, which faced more pronounced challenges during the period.
Last month, a growing call emerged in Macau for large companies outside the gaming sector to adopt recruitment policies similar to those found within the gaming industry. This push, spearheaded by legislator Leong Sun Iok from the Federation of Macau Workers’ Association, aims to help achieve the government’s target that Macau residents should fill at least 85 percent of management positions in gaming establishments.
