A survey jointly conducted by the General Association of Chinese Students of Macao (AECM) and University of Saint Joseph (USJ) found that 45.5 percent of licensed professionals are considering changing their job.
The press conference about the study was held at the Macao Daily News Building. The study targeted professionals required to hold a licence to work in their profession, collecting a total of 308 valid questionnaires.
At the time of the survey, the respondents had an average professional work experience of about 11 years, with over 80 percent possessing advanced academic qualifications and professional credentials.
The press conference did not say when the survey was conducted
According to the findings, the reasons for the respondents considering to change their careers included salary and compensation issues, personal interest and self-fulfilment, and work pressure and fatigue.
However, according to the findings, 62.4 percent of the respondents said they believe that the current social environment does not provide the conditions for them to change their job. Income issues, job market conditions, and family factors were cited as the three major obstacles to seeking a new job, the findings show.
The study also explored job satisfaction. The findings noted that the respondents gave an average satisfaction score of 7.1 out of 10 for their overall work, but their satisfaction with career development prospects was only 6.22 points. The findings showed a good income, sense of accomplishment, and contributing to society as the respondents’ main job satisfaction factors, while the primary areas of dissatisfaction were a low income, poor career prospects, and insufficient time for taking a holiday.
The findings also show that only about 38 percent of the respondents reported having participated in career planning courses or activities during their secondary school or university years.
Commenting on the findings, the co-organisers suggested in a statement that introducing career interest assessment tools at an early stage and providing students with more internship opportunities would help improve the accuracy of their subject selection and career choices.
5 recommendations
Based on the findings, the association representatives presented during the press conference five recommendations: promoting more detailed career planning on an individual basis; providing more internships and experiential opportunities in secondary schools; the government should improve residents’ professional training system; paying closer attention to the development of emerging industries; and optimising opportunities for talents’ upward mobility.
USJ Health Sciences Faculty Dean Prof. Jacky Ho Chong Kin (何鍾建) told reporters before the press conference that Macau’s licensed professionals, generally speaking report high job satisfaction. However, he said, when seeking upward mobility or lateral career development, they often feel that training and career transition resources are insufficient.
As key members of civil society, licensed professionals’ developmental pressures deserve attention, Ho said. He recommended adopting systematic strategies, strengthening career planning education in primary and secondary schools to identify students’ interests and abilities early on, and drawing on the experiences of neighbouring regions and combining data on industry demands, in order to enable training institutions to proactively design courses and adjust student intake.
Macau’s University of Saint Joseph (USJ) Health Sciences Faculty Dean Prof. Jacky Ho Chong Kin (何鍾建) talks to reporters on the sidelines of Friday’s press conference at Macao Daily News Building. – Photo: Armindo Neves
