Real estate jobs hit record high

Despite the Government measures to curb property speculation, the Macau real estate industry continues to grow. In the last quarter the number of workers in the sector increased by 9.1 percent year-on-year to 28,700. This is the highest ever figure since 1998, when the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) began collecting data.
On the other hand, the latest Employment Survey reveals that the manufacturing industry has hit an all-time low number of workers. In the third quarter, the sector only employed 14,600 people, down by 9.24 percent from the same period of 2009.
The biggest employer in MSAR remains the gaming industry, with 64,200 workers, 6.2 percent higher year-on-year, followed by the wholesale and retail trade. The staff working at this sector increased to 42,800, overtaking the hotel and restaurant industry for the first time since 2007.
After a lull in the second quarter, the median monthly wage went back in the last quarter. The global median earnings increased by 500 patacas to MOP 9,000, while that of local residents held stable at a higher level, MOP 10,000.
The going continues to be tough for construction workers, as the DSEC data shows that almost a third (29.8 percent) of the unemployed looking for a new job had left this sector.
Furthermore, over two thirds of the underemployed - people working in jobs below their qualifications or who can only find part-time work – were also engaged in the construction industry.
The overwhelming majority of the unemployed, 81 percent, were searching for a new job, while the remaining were right out of school or university. Most had at most completed primary education (30.9 percent), while a significant part had been to junior secondary (26.9 percent) or to senior secondary education (26.6 percent).