MACAO - Macao's general unemployment rate fell to 1.7 percent in the August-October period, down 0.1 percentage points from July-September, the city's Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) said on Friday. The unemployment rate for local residents also edged down to 2.3 percent.

Among the 6,700 unemployed residents, most job seekers previously worked in retail or construction, the service noted. The share of first-time job seekers dropped to 13.9 percent, down 4.4 percentage points.

Underemployment also improved, with the overall rate falling to 1.4 percent and the local rate to 1.8 percent. Most of the 5,200 underemployed residents were engaged in real estate and business activities, construction, or transport and storage.

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The total labor force increased by 1,500 from the previous period to 492,200, according to the DSEC.