News

Consumer Council conducted its seventh 'Supermarket price survey' in January on 26 January for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12 June. Surveyed locations included 12 supermarkets in Sé Parish. The latest 'Supermarket Price Survey' is now available on Consumer Council's website (www.consumer.gov.mo), and the 'Supermarket Price Information Platform' iPhone and Android apps. 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. Consumers may also access the resources through WAP channels on their mobile phones. With reference to the local six parishes and the number of supermarkets in each parish, the Council has divided over 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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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that both the unemployment rate (1.7%) and the underemployment rate (0.4%) for October-December 2014 held stable as September-November 2014. Total labour force increased to 405,500 and the labour force participation rate stood at 74.4%. Total employment reached 398,600, an increase of 2,400 from September-November 2014; employment in Construction went up by 2,200. Number of the unemployed was 7,000, up slightly by 100 from September-November 2014; fresh labour force entrants searching for their first job accounted for 15.2% of the total unemployed, down by 5.1 percentage points. In the fourth quarter of 2014, the general unemployment rate (1.7%) remained unchanged as the previous quarter, while the unemployment rate of local residents (2.4%) edged up by 0.1 percentage point. Total employment increased by 6,500 quarter-to-quarter. Analysed by industry, employment in Gaming (87,000) rose by 5,500. Median monthly employment earnings of the employed (MOP14,000) and the employed residents (MOP16,000) increased by MOP1,000 and MOP400 respectively quarter-to-quarter. For the whole year of 2014, the general unemployment rate stood at 1.7% and the unemployment rate of local residents was 2.3%, both down by 0.1 percentage point year-on-year. Median monthly employment earnings of the employed amounted to MOP13,300, up by 10.8% year-on-year. As regards household employment, average number of employed persons per household was 1.8 in 2014, same as that in 2013; the median monthly employment earnings per household increased by 12.5% year-on-year to MOP27,000.
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The Government would bolster ties with national and international agencies to propel development in Traditional Chinese Medicine, as a strategic step to adequately diversify the economy, said the Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, in Beijing today. Further co-operation with the State Administration in development of TCM would help Macao to meet more international standards on research and quarantine, he said. Mr Chui, who is leading an official delegation on a four-day visit to Beijing, made these comments in a meeting with the Commissioner of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Mr Wang Guoqiang. He expressed his gratitude for the State Administration's long-term support in providing professional training to the practitioners, the establishment of a research centre in the University of Macau that offers postgraduate courses, and the establishment of the State Key Laboratory for Quality Research in Chinese Medicine in Macao. The Government would work closer with the Centre for Traditional Medicine, a joint project with the World Health Organization, and the other institutions involved in TCM research, to further distinguish Macao's unique position and features. As a clear direction to maintain long-term stability and prosperity, the Government would step up efforts to expand its economic scope and cultivate talents for the need of development. Thus, the Government retained tight co-operation with the neighbouring regions – Hengqin in Zhuhai, Cuiheng of Zhongshan and Nansha of Guangzhou – and initiated projects such as the Guangdong-Macao Chinese Medicine Technology Park and the Guangdong-Macao Co-operation Industrial Park, he said. The Commissioner, Mr Wang Guoqiang, said Macao saw unprecedented opportunities in developing TCM, as President Xi Jinping and other state leaders had positively acknowledged. The country's strategy was to turn Macao into a world centre of tourism and leisure and a commercial and trade co-operation service platform between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries. Mr Wang said his department would spare no effort to work closely with the Macao government to promote exchanges in the industry. Officials also attended the meeting today were the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Leong Vai Tac; the Chief-of-Office of the Chief Executive's Office, Ms O Lam; the Chief of Office of the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Ms Lok Kit Sim and the Director of the Government Information Bureau, Mr Chan Chi Ping, together with leading officials of the State Administration. Prior to the meeting, Mr Chui also met with the Minister of Commerce, Mr Gao Hucheng and Vice Minister, Ms Gao Yan, to discuss issues on further promoting the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement and its supplementary agreements, and strengthening personnel training in both Macao and the mainland.
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Consumer Council received a total of 6,981 cases last year; of which 1,668 cases were complaints, 5,250 cases were inquiries, and 63 cases were suggestions. The total number of cases of the top 5 categories of complaints amounted to 749, which was about 45 percent of the total. The top 5 categories were telecommunication services (220 cases), telecommunication equipment and supplies (208 cases), food and beverages (121 cases), electrical appliances (113 cases), and public transportation (87 cases). When compared the top 5 categories of complaints in 2013 with those in 2014, the top 4 categories remained unchanged, while the category of public transportation, which ranked the 5th in 2014, had replaced tourism. The number of cases received for each category and the total number of complaint cases received in 2014 were similar to those received in 2013. A detailed analysis of the number of cases received in 2014 will be published later by the Council in its monthly magazine Consumer Report.
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Macao Post announces that the issue date of the stamp issue "25 Years of AICEP" will be on 27th April 2015.
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Macao Post will issue an exquisite "Annual Album 2014" on 28th January 2015. The protective hardcover is printed with the lifelike horse, together with the hot foil stamping with golden words, bringing sense of simple and elegant. This album comprises the full collection of 13 sets of stamps and 11 souvenir sheets issued in 2014, on which the colour stamp images and the technical data are printed on the pages. This Annual Album 2014 will be available for sale at the Philatelic Shop of Macao Post Headquarters, "Rua do Campo" Post Office, Maritime Ferry Terminal Post Office, Airport Post Office, and the Communications Museum. The selling price is MOP418.00 each, it is certainly an excellent product, either as a collectable or as an elegant gift. Customers can also purchase the empty Annual Album, by which the purchased 2014 Macao's stamps and souvenir sheets can be protectively organized. Empty Annual Album is priced at MOP110.00.
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Organized by the Hong Kong Exhibition Services Ltd. and Allword Exhibitions, HOFEX 2015 – The 16th International Exhibition of Food & Drink, Hotel, Restaurant & Foodservice Equipment, Supplies & Services, will take place at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, in Hong Kong, from May 6 to 9, 2015. HOFEX will showcase a vast array of the world´s newest hotel and catering supplies, as well as the most fashionable food and beverage products. According to the statistics provided by the Organizers, the last edition of HOFEX (held in 2013) has attracted 1,800 exhibitors from 48 countries and regions, including 44 official delegations, to create a comprehensive business platform. The 4-day event registered the largest number of visitors ever, including 30,718 quality buyers, of which, 30,27% were overseas buyers from 85 countries and regions. Together with the concurrent events, including forums, competitions and guest media, total number of admissions reached 33,409. HOFEX – the 16th International Exhibition of Food & Drink, Hotel, Restaurant & Foodservice Equipment, Supplies & Services also provided an excellent opportunity for the catering and hotel industry to observe and exchange ideas. A number of exciting activities have been planned for the coming edition of HOFEX, including "2015 Hong Kong International Culinary Classic2, "All World Open Cup 2015 – Cocktail Creative Classic & Bartending Flair", "Regional Hotel General Managers´ Forum", "Hospitality Technology Conference" and "Asian Club Managers´ Forum". All these events will not only provide a learning and exchange platform for the participants, but will also serve as an inspiration when analysing the development trends of the hospitality and catering industry. Having participated consecutively in the three previous editions of HOFEX, Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute ((IPIM) plans to set-up a "Macao Pavilion" at the HOFEX 2015 venue. Local enterprises in the relevant field (including wine, food, hotel supplies and catering equipment) interested to participate as exhibitors are invited to contact Mr. Chang, of IPIM´s Promotion Activities Department (Tel: 87989267 or e-mail kei changîpim.gov.mo). Due to the limited number of booths available, first-come, first-served basis applies.
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The Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Mr Raimundo Rosario, said the government would strengthen the management on large-scale constructions to ensure best use of the public funds,when he visited the departments supervise the public projects The Government would make more efforts to monitor constructions quality, make more advanced preparation and be more cautious with budget proposals, he said when he visited departments that supervised construction of public projects. The Secretary visited the Transportation Infrastructure Office and the Infrastructure Development Office on the 21 January, where he also had meetings with the officials to get a better understanding on the progress of public projects construction. To tackle challenges faced on the Light Rapid Transit projects, he said the Government would spare no effort to make up for the schedules and be more cautious in spending public funds and further enhance working efficiency.
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The Government would work closely with the social services sector to provide more working opportunities to the disadvantaged group, the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Mr Tam Chon Weng, had said. In consideration of the difficulties the sector had countered, the Government would consider buying industrial buildings or to provide rental subsidies for them in view of increasing rents. Mr Tam was speaking to reporters after a meeting with representatives of social services associations on 22 January, where they exchanged views on the welfare and salaries of personnel in the sector, adolescents' issues, difficulties on running social services and facilities for the physically challenged. When asked, he said he was confident that the Islands District Medical Complex would come into operation in 2017. To be more transparent on the schedule and budget, the Government would brief the Legislative Assembly fully in due course, he added.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that visitor arrivals decreased by 1.8% year-on-year to 2,540,070 in December 2014; same-day visitors accounted for 54% of the total, at 1,375,681. Analysed by place of residence, visitors from Mainland China increased by 1% year-on-year to 1,638,854, coming primarily from Guangdong Province (654,325) and Fujian Province (70,404); Mainland visitors travelling under the Individual Visit Scheme rose by 6%, at 740,906. Visitors from the Republic of Korea (47,346) increased by 2% year-on-year, while those from Hong Kong (545,772) and Taiwan (78,150) decreased by 4% and 10% respectively. Long-haul visitors from the United States (14,859), Australia (9,563), Canada (6,501) and the United Kingdom (4,356) registered year-on-year decline. The average length of stay of visitors decreased by 0.1 day year-on-year to 0.9 day in December 2014; overnight and same-day visitors had an average stay of 1.9 days and 0.2 day respectively. For the whole year of 2014, visitor arrivals reached a record high of 31,525,632, up by 7.5% year-on-year; same-day visitors amounted to 16,959,949, sharing 54% of the total. Visitors from Mainland China (21,252,410), the Republic of Korea (554,521) and Japan (299,849) increased year-on-year, while those from Hong Kong (6,426,608) and Taiwan (953,753) decreased. Moreover, visitors from the United States recorded year-on-year increase; however, those from Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom registered decrease. In 2014, the average length of stay of visitors held stable as in 2013, at 1.0 day.
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