In another gesture to Macao's sound economic condition, the city's unemployment rate dipped to 4.9 percent in July, which marked the first time that the rate has fallen below five percent since 1998.

A release from the Macao Statistics and Census Bureau suggested that the rate decreased 1.5 percentage points from the same periodlast year.

Macao's economy, which is mainly powered by casinos, tourism and garment exports, has sustained a two-digit growth in the past two years. The open-up of the gaming industry and a strong increase in visitor arrival numbers have created thousands of new jobs in Macao in the first half year.

Macao's workforce totaled 226,000 in the period in July, including 11,000 jobless residents. The newest official survey on Macao's population tagged 454,000 at the end of June.

Source: Xinhua