Secretary for Economy and Finance Lei Wai Nong said yesterday that about 4,300 young people were unemployed in the fourth quarter of last year, but the difference was only two to three percentage points compared with the pre-pandemic period, with about 70 per cent of young job seekers, on average, finding work within 60 days with the help of the Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL).
Lei made the remarks during an oral interpellation plenary session yesterday in the legislature’s hemicycle, adding that youth unemployment is not a result of structural unemployment, but a problem of market matching.
According to Lei, the latest local unemployment rate is 2.8 percent, and the policy secretary was quick to add that there are conditions for a further decrease.
Lei acknowledged that there is a structural unemployment problem in Macau, especially for single-skilled people over the age of 45, but the bureau has been helping them change their career paths through skills training measures.
Lei took the casino industry as an example, where about 3,900 junket workers lost their jobs in 2021 due to the closure of a number of casino VIP rooms, but, according to Lei, many of them have adjusted their mindsets and switched careers.
Lei admitted, there are still 500 former junket workers who would prefer to return to their employment conditions original, but the bureau has been helping them “liberate their minds” and strengthen their skills in order to find new jobs.
Guangdong & Macao Branded Products Expo Centre
During yesterday’s oral interpellation, Lei also said that the Guangdong & Macao Branded Products Expo Centre, which is located in the Qingmao checkpoint building, was expected to come into operation this year, adding that the interior decoration of the centre has been completed.
Lei pointed out that the expo operator has received admission applications from a number of enterprises, mainly involving Guangdong and Macau special products and services such as F&B items, gifts, and streaming.
Lei also said that the government would continue to enhance Macau’s business environment, including the areas surrounding the city’s border checkpoints, and support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to upgrade their operations.
Weekend Consumer Rewards in northern district
Meanwhile, the Macau Chamber of Commerce (ACM) is holding its “Weekend Consumer Rewards in Northern District” promotion from March 18 to August 4, during which the government will assess the situation in various neighbourhoods in the district through mobile payment data collected through the activity, Lei said.
Lei said he believed that the northern district’s relatively low consumption level during weekends might be related to its proximity to several border checkpoints.
Lei said the promotional activity in the northern district (“bak koi” in Cantonese) would serve as a pilot scheme to attract the 181,000 residents living there, as well as residents from other districts and tourists, to spend money there, adding that the first week of the business promotion campaign had yielded good results and was expected to serve as a reference experience for consumption activities in other districts.
Secretary for Economy and Finance Lei Wai Nong speaks during yesterday’s plenary session in the Legislative Assembly’s (AL) hemicycle. – Photo courtesy of TDM
