Macao saw its unemployment rate for the first 11 months of 2007 stand at 2.9 percent, 0.7 percentage point lower than the same period of 2006, according to the Employment Survey released on Friday by the Statistics and Census Service.

The survey showed that Macao's total labor force was estimated at 320,000, while the unemployed population in the first 11 months of 2007 was estimated at 9,300, dropping 300 compared with the previous period. It also said that about 1,500 were searching for their first job among the unemployed.

By industry, the number of the employed in construction, gaming, hotel and restaurant sectors saw considerable growth, while that in the transport, storage and communication sectors decreased, according to the survey.

The Macao Special Administrative Region has a population of 528,000.

(Xinhua News Agency December 29, 2007)