News

The Government will step up efforts to help Macao become an efficient platform for cooperation and exchanges among the economies covered by the Belt and Road Initiative, said today the Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, will lead a delegation of Government officials to Guangzhou on 24 and 25 August to attend the 11th Pan-Pearl River Delta Regional Cooperation and Development Forum (also known as “PPRD Forum”). The Chief Executive will attend on Thursday morning (25 August) the opening ceremony of the PPRD Forum. Following the opening ceremony, Mr Chui will witness the signing of several cooperation projects. Officials accompanying Mr Chui to Guangzhou include: the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Leong Vai Tac; the Chief-of-Office of the Chief Executive’s Office, Ms O Lam; the Director of the Government Information Bureau, Mr Chan Chi Ping; the Director of the Protocol, Public Relations and External Affairs Office, Mr Fung Sio Weng; and the President of the Administrative Committee of the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, Mr Cheong Chou Weng. While Mr Chui is in Guangzhou, the Secretary for Administration and Justice, Ms Chan Hoi Fan, will be the acting Chief Executive. The PPRD Forum was proposed in 2003 as a platform for regional cooperation between the nine provinces and two special administrative regions (SARs) located in the Greater Pearl River Delta Region, namely: Fujian; Jiangxi; Hunan; Guangdong; Guangxi; Hainan; Sichuan; Guizhou; Yunnan; the Hong Kong SAR; and the Macao SAR.
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Data collection for the 2016 Population By-census was successfully concluded on 21 August. The Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) attributed the success of the operation to the cooperation of the general public and support of the community and various government departments. The overall response rate reached 90.7%, with 16.9% of the households having completed the e-Questionnaire. For the non-contact households who might be travelling out of Macao, the enumerators have left an appointment card at their home. DSEC will continue to follow up on these cases and encourage the households to call the Population By-census Hotline at 8809 8809 to complete the survey as soon as possible. For evaluating the accuracy of the By-census results, DSEC is going to conduct the Post Enumeration Survey (PES) from 2 to 11 September. Enumerators will re-visit about 660 households to collect basic information on household members for the compilation of relevant quality indicators. DSEC called for the continued support of the selected households to the PES. Preliminary results of the 2016 Population By-census will be available in December 2016, and detailed results will be published in April 2017. In appreciation for the cooperation and support of households, all households who completed the By-census questionnaire will automatically enter the Cooperating Households Lucky Draw, and those who completed the e-Questionnaire will get an extra entry in the E-Questionnaire Lucky Draw. The Lucky Draws, together with the draw for the 2016 Population By-census Online Quiz, will be held on 29 September. Results of the draws will be posted on the 2016 Population By-census website (www.dsec.gov.mo/Intercensos2016) and all winners will be notified individually by DSEC staff.
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Consumer Council conducted its latest ‘Supermarket price survey’ in August on 22 August for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12 June. Surveyed locations included supermarkets near Horte e Costa, Avenida do Ouvidor Arriaga and Rua da Emenda areas in Santo António Parish. The latest ‘Supermarket Price Survey’ is now available on Consumer Council’s website (www.consumer.gov.mo), ‘Supermarket Price Information Platform’ iPhone and Android apps, and on the Council’s WeChat account page. The survey is also available free of charge at the offices of Consumer Council, IACM’s Iao Hon and S. Domingos Markets, bookstores and libraries. With reference to the local seven parishes and the number of supermarkets in each parish, the Council has divided around 100 supermarkets into 8 areas for price collection. The Council collects prices from these supermarkets for the provision of a more comprehensive database for consumers to check price discrepancies and make price comparisons according to their desired locations. For inquiry, please call 8988 9315.
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The Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) released survey results of Manpower Needs and Wages of the Gaming Sector for the second quarter of 2016. Survey coverage excludes junket promoters and junket associates. At the end of the second quarter of 2016, the Gaming Sector had 55,708 full-time employees, down by 3.0% year-on-year, of which 24,285 were dealers, down by 3.1%. Shift working employees accounted for 92.7% of the total employees in the Gaming Sector. In June 2016, average earnings (excluding bonuses) of full-time employees in the Gaming Sector stood at MOP22,060, up by 2.7% year-on-year. Average earnings of dealers increased by 2.0%, at MOP18,960. Job vacancies totalled 587 at the end of the second quarter of 2016, up by 80 year-on-year. Most of the vacancies were for clerks and service & sales workers. In terms of recruitment prerequisites, 57.6% of the vacancies required working experience; 75.1% required senior secondary education or higher; requirement for knowledge of Mandarin and English accounted for 89.9% and 74.3% respectively. In the second quarter of 2016, a total of 660 new employees were hired, a substantial decline of 66.5% from 1,972 in the same quarter of 2015, bringing the employee recruitment rate (1.2%) down by 2.3 percentage points year-on-year; meanwhile, the employee turnover rate (1.5%) remained unchanged while the job vacancy rate (1.0%) rose slightly by 0.1 percentage point. These indicators suggested a continued slowdown in demand for manpower in the Gaming Sector. As regards vocational training, the Gaming sector had 79,385 participants attending training courses provided by the enterprise (including courses organized by the enterprise or in conjunction with other institutions, and those sponsored by the enterprise), up by 77.3% year-on-year. Most participants (35.3%) attended courses in Gaming & Entertainment Services, followed by Business & Administration (34.1%). The majority of courses were organized by the gaming enterprises, and number of participants accounted for 99.5% of the total.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the Composite CPI showed continuous slowdown in growth, rising by 2.08% year-on-year to 108.35 in July 2016, a decrease of 0.18 percentage points from the 2.26% growth in June. The increment was attributable to higher rentals for parking spaces, dearer charges for eating out, as well as increases in motor car prices and property management fees. Among the various sections of goods and services, price index of Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages and Housing & Fuels that accounted for the largest shares of household expenditure slowed down further in growth, rising by 2.42% and 0.12% respectively year-on-year. Meanwhile, price index of Clothing & Footwear decreased by 2.73%. On the other hand, price index of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco, Education and Transport rose by 12.64%, 8.89% and 7.11% respectively. The CPI-A (108.43) and CPI-B (107.61) increased by 1.97% and 3.08% respectively year-on-year. The Composite CPI for July 2016 edged up by 0.05% month-to-month. Higher charges for package tours during summer holidays drove up the price index of Recreation & Culture by 3.17%. Price index of Transport increased by 0.24% on account of rising airfares, higher rentals for parking spaces, and dearer prices of motor cars; meanwhile, retreating gasoline prices partially offset the increase. On the contrary, price index of Clothing & Footwear decreased by 2.16% owing to seasonal sale of summer clothing & footwear; moreover, lower rentals for dwellings and receding prices of Liquefied Petroleum Gas pushed down the price index of Housing & Fuels by 0.16%. The CPI-A and CPI-B rose by 0.04% and 0.13% respectively month-to-month. For the 12 months ended July 2016, the average Composite CPI increased by 3.45% from the previous period. Price index of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco (+36.20%) and Education (+8.45%) showed marked increase. The average CPI-A and CPI-B went up by 3.50% and 3.17% respectively over the previous period. The average Composite CPI for the first seven months of 2016 increased by 3.00% year-on-year, and the average CPI-A and CPI-B rose by 2.97% and 3.22% respectively. The Composite CPI reflects the impact of price changes on the general households in Macao. The CPI-A relates to about 50% of the households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP10,000 to MOP29,999. The CPI-B relates to about 30% of the households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP30,000 to MOP54,999.
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To promote the development of local cultural and creative industries and to enrich the cultural life of the residents, the Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT) hosts the “Inheritance – Exhibition of Handmade Leather Accessories and Carving Crafts by Teachers and Students” at the Team Building of IFT from 19 August to 30 October 2016, showcasing numerous pieces of handmade leather accessories and carving crafts. The public is cordially invited to appreciate the unique masterpieces of the teachers and students. Leather craft has a long history; as early as 1450 BC, ancient people engaging in leather craft and carving were already recorded on images found in the relief carvings in Egypt. During the Yellow Emperor period in China, some people used leather to make door leaf and shoes. After the world entered into the era of mechanisation, the leather handicraft industry gradually declined. Until recently, the handicraft trend has been sweeping the globe and leather craft becomes one of the favorite activities for cultural and creative artists. In response to this trend, IFT started organising a series of leather craft courses in 2013 and invited renowned leather craft designers from Hong Kong, Mr. Ryan Lau and Ms. Catherine Ling to deliver the courses of “Leather Craft – Design and Production of Handmade Practical Leather Accessories”, “Leather Craft – Design and Handmade Accessories” and “Leather Craft – Professional Design and Production of Handmade Leather Accessories”. Also in 2015, leather carving artists Ms. Sin Mei Cheong and Ms. Sin Mei I, who have studied in Hong Kong and Chinse Taiwan and taken private lessons with a Japanese leather carving teacher, joined the team to deliver the course “Design and Production of Leather Carving Crafts”. Also in 2015, leather carving artists Ms. Sin Mei Cheong and Ms. Sin Mei I, who have taken lessons in Chinese Hong Kong and Chinse Taiwan, joined the team to deliver the course “Design and Production of Leather Carving Crafts”. Leather craft emphasises on sophisticated techniques and rigorous production processes. From selection of leather and design to cutting and sewing, until the whole process is complete, every step and every detail demonstrate the proficient skills of the leather craftsmen. This exhibition showcases works of the four teachers and their students, for not only witnessing the inheritance of the handicraft spirit from teachers to students, but also demonstrating the excellent skills of leather craftsmen of the new generation of Macao. In addition to the exhibits of leather products for practical daily use, there are also exhibits of various exquisite leather carving artworks which are worth appreciating. IFT has always been committed to promoting the cultural industry in Macao. Apart from constantly providing a variety of cultural and creative courses, IFT has also pursued active cooperation with artists in recent years, organising various types of exhibitions, in an effort to promote local creation and to provide a platform for local artists to demonstrate their achievements of arts, and to integrate arts into the daily life of residents. IFT has continuously explored courses which are up-to-date, interesting and practical for the community. Currently, IFT’s Tourism and Hotel School is working with 20 international organisations, providing professional and certified courses and assessments to the public and industry professionals. Every year, the School provides hundreds of vocational and professional courses to a total of around 20,000 participants.
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In order to encourage reading and provide convenient library services to the public, the Macao Public Library under the Cultural Affairs Bureau has launched a 24-hour Self-service Book Return System and a reservation service for books on shelf. The 24-hour Self-service Book Return System was introduced in the Macao Central Library and in the Taipa Library on 11 August. It is now also available at the Wong Ieng Kuan Library in Areia Preta Urban Park, Wong Ieng Kuan Children's Library in Areia Preta Urban Park, Wong Ieng Kuan Library in Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Municipal Park, Library in Ho Yin Garden and S. Lourenço Library (the availability of some Book Returns is subject to the opening hours of the parks and markets where the libraries are located). The Book Return System is user-friendly and supports receipt printing. Furthermore, the Macao Public Library has expanded its reservation service of books on loan to books on shelf since August. Residents may reserve books held on shelf through the Libraries’ website, by telephone or in person at any of the libraries, and collect the books at a selected library. After completing the reservation, residents will receive a SMS confirmation from the library and may carry on with the borrowing procedure at the service counter of the selected library within the appointed period. The Macao Public Library hopes the new diversified services will allow the residents an easier access to library resources, so as to promote reading close by all the public.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that total spending (excluding gaming expenses) of visitors in the second quarter of 2016 amounted to MOP 11.70 billion, down by 4.5% from MOP 12.25 billion in the same quarter of 2015 and up by 1.4% from MOP 11.54 billion in the first quarter of 2016. Total spending of overnight visitors (MOP 9.29 billion) and same-day visitors (MOP 2.40 billion) decreased by 3.0% and 10.0% respectively year-on-year. In the second quarter of 2016, per-capita spending of visitors was MOP 1,601, down by 4.0% year-on-year and up by 3.4% quarter-to-quarter. Per-capita spending of visitors from Mainland China decreased by 8.0% year-on-year to MOP 1,850, with spending of those from Guangdong Province (MOP 1,604) dropping by 3.2% and that from Fujian Province (MOP 1,561) falling significantly by 31.1%. Per-capita spending of Mainland visitors travelling under the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) decreased by 11.3% year-on-year to MOP 2,244, with spending of Guangdong visitors (MOP 1,834) and Fujian visitors (MOP 2,545) dropping by 3.0% and 31.7% respectively. Meanwhile, per-capita spending of visitors from Japan (MOP 1,731), Malaysia (MOP 1,657), Hong Kong (MOP 955) and Taiwan (MOP 1,548) increased by 12.1%, 10.1%, 9.8% and 12.7% respectively year-on-year. Among the long-haul visitors, per-capita spending of visitors from the United Kingdom (MOP 1,234) and the United States (MOP 1,223) increased by 1.8% and 6.0% respectively, while spending of those from Australia (MOP 1,445) decreased by 5.1%. Per-capita spending of overnight visitors dropped by 9.8% year-on-year to MOP 2,543; spending of those from Mainland China (MOP 2,928) and Singapore (MOP 2,611) decreased by 15.3% and 6.6% respectively, while spending of those from Japan (MOP 2,509), Hong Kong (MOP 1,543) and Taiwan (MOP 2,918) recorded increase. On the other hand, per-capita spending of same-day visitors dropped by 2.8% year-on-year to MOP 658, with spending of those from Mainland China (MOP 791) and Singapore (MOP 527) decreasing by 5.6% and 3.3% respectively. Visitors spent mainly on shopping (43.4%), accommodation (26.8%) and food & beverage (20.9%). Per-capita shopping spending decreased by 7.6% year-on-year to MOP 694, of which spending on local food products (MOP 195) and cosmetics & perfume (MOP 161) dropped by 8.9% and 1.9% respectively. Visitors from Mainland China spent an average of MOP 958 on shopping (-10.0%), with IVS visitors spending MOP 1,379 (-13.7%). Analysed by visitors’ main purpose of visit, visitors coming to Macao for shopping had the highest per-capita spending, at MOP 2,261, down by 3.1% year-on-year, followed by those coming for MICE events (MOP 2,144) and vacation (MOP 2,123), down by 10.0% and 12.0% respectively. Results of the Visitors’ Comments Survey for the second quarter of 2016 indicated that 90.8% of the visitor-users were satisfied with the services of travel agencies, up by 1.0 percentage point quarter-to-quarter; those who expressed satisfaction with the services and facilities of hotels rose marginally by 0.2 percentage points to 90.1%. On the contrary, only 39.5% of the visitors commented that points of tourist attractions were adequate, down by 1.6 percentage points quarter-to-quarter; those who complimented about environmental hygiene and public facilities accounted for 78.4% and 67.0%, down by 4.8 and 4.3 percentage points respectively. Meanwhile, a relatively high percentage of visitors considered that public transport services should be improved, at 9.3%, down by 1.4 percentage points quarter-to-quarter.
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The Government has provided legal advice to the property owners in Edifício Wa Keong, the building damaged by a recent crash involving a tourist bus. It is part of the Government’s effort to provide all necessary practical assistance to those property owners affected, as well as to the occupants of the bus. Among the discussion topics on Thursday (August 18), between officials and those owning units in the building, were: the question of civil liability; damage compensation; procedures for claiming compensation – via arbitration or via legal procedures; the applicable statute of limitation; the qualification requirements for legal aid; and the degree to which vehicle insurance would offer coverage of liability. The Acting Director of the Legal Affairs Bureau, Ms Leong Pou Ieng, and the Deputy Director of the Social Welfare Bureau, Mr Au Chi Keung, attended the meeting with property owners from Edifício Wa Keong. In view of an ongoing investigation by the police regarding the incident, the Government was at this stage only able to discuss legislation relevant to the incident, said Ms Leong. In addition, the Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau said that a proposed primary repair plan would be announced before the end of next week. The Bureau will next week hold talks with the building occupants, to update them on the condition of the building. The Government had taken measures to reinforce the structure of the building and had been monitoring its safety. Measurements taken showed the building to be in a generally stable condition. The Social Welfare Bureau had arranged for four families from the building to stay in temporary accommodation. Other occupants of the building – that had been staying at the Centre for Victims of Disaster – left their emergency accommodation on Thursday. Regarding the tourists that were victims of the bus crash, as of today, a total of 11 mainland tourists were still being treated in Kiang Wu Hospital. Of those hospitalised, a female patient – who had undergone head surgery – remained in a coma. Her condition was generally stable, and she was being kept on a ventilator. It was expected that the other hospitalised patients – each in a stable condition – would leave hospital next week. Of the 44 mainland tourists involved in the crash, a total of 24 had left Macao. Nine non-hospitalised tourists were in Macao as of today (one of the nine had left the city but returned). The nine were present either to accompany family members injured in the accident, or for discussions with their respective travel agent regarding insurance matters.
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