A survey conducted by the Macau Management Association (MMA) found that despite the tough employment environment in the city, residents are still not willing to leave their “comfort zone” in Macau to have a career in the other cities of the Greater Bay Area (GBA).
The survey was about “2021 Macau resident job flow”, and its findings were released in a statement yesterday.
The statement said that the survey was conducted via email and online, noting that 1,016 responses were deemed valid.
According to the statement, the main reasons residents refused to work elsewhere in the Greater Bay Area were because of cultural differences, family problems and the work environment. The findings also showed that out of all the respondents who were willing to work in the GBA, 56 percent preferred to work in the Guangdong-Macau In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin.
The Greater Bay Area comprises nine cities in Guangdong province – including Zhuhai and Shenzhen – and the nation’s two special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau.
Meanwhile, the statement pointed out that over 20 percent of the respondents said that they have been underemployed, which was a significant increase compared to last year. The statement underlined that the findings show that the employment situation in Macau is still severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The statement also said that the opportunity for career promotions in Macau is lacking. The findings also showed that 75 percent of the food and beverage industry, 57.69 percent of community associations and 46.67 percent of the MICE sector pay salaries that are lower than the city’s average earnings. The statement underlined that most respondents who work in the tourism sector mostly have a monthly salary lower than 10,000 patacas.
The statement also said that fewer residents are working in hotel, food and beverage, and gaming sectors compared to 2019 findings. However, the statement added that the number of residents working in the education sector, civil service, community associations and the construction sector has been increasing. The statement highlighted the education sector, which has recorded a 9.24 percent increase compared to last year.
GBA map courtesy of Normsun HK
