MACAO, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Macao's unemployment rate for the period of May to July 2009 slightly went up by 0.1 percentage point to 3.7 percent, compared with the previous period of April to June, according to the figures released on Friday by the city's Statistics and Census Service (DSEC).

    Gross labor force reached 332,700 in the period, with the number of the unemployed totaling 12,300, the DSEC figure indicated. Among the unemployed, 11.4 percent were fresh labor force entrants searching for their first jobs, up by two percentage points over the previous period.

    When compared with the same period of last year, the unemployment rate rose by 0.8 percentage point, while the labor force participation rate dropped by 0.2 percentage point, the DSEC said.

    Meanwhile, local employed population was 320,400, of which the number of persons working in the Construction sector dropped further, while employment of the Wholesale and retail trade and Real estate and business activities registered an increase, according to the DSEC.