MACAO -- Macao's general unemployment rate held steady at 1.8 percent from August to October this year over the previous period (from July to September), the special administrative region's statistic service said here on Wednesday.

Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that the unemployment rate of local residents was 2.4 percent, down by 0.1 percentage point. Meanwhile, the underemployment rate was 0.5 percent, up by 0.1 percentage point.

Total labour force was 394,300 and the labour force participation rate was 70.1 percent. Total employment was 387,300, an increase of 200 from the previous period. The number of employed residents totalled 280,800, down by 300.

Analysed by industry, employment in hotels, restaurants and similar activities decreased while that in gaming and junket activities increased.

The number of the unemployed was 7,000, down by 300 from the previous period. The proportion of new labour market entrants seeking their first job decreased by 2.5 percentage points to 18.5 percent of the total unemployed.

In comparison with the same period of last year, the unemployment rate stayed steady. Meanwhile, the labour force participation rate dropped by 0.7 percentage points while the underemployment rate rose by 0.1 percentage point.