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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that purchase and sale of building units plummeted after the laws regulating pre-sale of buildings under construction (Regime jurídico da promessa de transmissão de edifícios em construção) and intermediary activity of real estate agent (Lei da actividade de mediação imobiliária) take effect. In the third quarter of 2013, a total of 3,193 building units and parking spaces were purchased and sold at MOP13.84 billion as per Stamp Duty record, down substantially by 51% and 59% quarter-to-quarter; purchase and sale of residential units totalled 1,908, of which pre-sale residential units purchased and sold (90 units at MOP900 million) plunged by 95% from the previous quarter. Subsequent to a sharp decline in purchase and sale of the expensive pre-sale residential units, the average price of all residential units tumbled from MOP88,957 in the second quarter to MOP66,936 per square metre of usable area, down by 25% quarter-to-quarter. Purchase and sale of existing residential units totalled 1,818 and the average price per square meter rose by 2% quarter-to-quarter, amounting to MOP64,561; the average price of residential units in the Macao Peninsula and Taipa Island increased by 3% and 2% respectively, but average price of those in Coloane Island dropped by 12%. Analysed by district, most of the existing residential units purchased and sold were in Baixa da Taipa (284), NATAP (203) and Areia Preta & Iao Hon (182), and the average price amounted to MOP70,960, MOP82,387 and MOP58,119 respectively per square metre. The average price of pre-sale residential units decreased by 10% quarter-to-quarter, at MOP97,902 per square metre; the average price of residential units in the Macao Peninsula, Taipa Island and Coloane Island fell by 1%, 27% and 10% respectively. The majority of pre-sale residential units purchased and sold were in NATAP (33), Coloane (17) and Pac On & Taipa Grande (17), and the average price amounted to MOP119,748, MOP94,489 and MOP89,553 respectively per square meter. Analysed by year of completion, there were 878 residential units built more than 20 years ago (106 in Areia Preta & Iao Hon, 101 in Barca) and the average price amounted to MOP51,992 per square metre, up by 7% quarter-to-quarter. For the 688 residential units completed between 11 to 20 years ago (184 in Baixa da Taipa, 80 in NATAP), the average price rose by 2%, at MOP63,352 per square metre. The average price of the 144 residential units completed within 5 years or less (35 in NATAP, 27 in Baixa da Taipa) increased by 7%, at MOP100,401 per square metre. Analysed by floor area, a total of 891 residential units having a floor area of 50.0 to 99.9 square metres and the average price plunged by 26% quarter-to-quarter, amounting to MOP64,361 per square metre. For the 686 small-sized units having a floor area of less than 50 square metres, the average price was MOP59,187 per square metre, down by 13% quarter-to-quarter. In the third quarter of 2013, the average price of office units amounted to MOP79,592 per square metre, an increase of 23% quarter-to-quarter. The average price of industrial units rose by 1%, at MOP34,637 per square metre. In the third quarter of 2013, real estate sale contracts signed included 3,186 immovable properties, and mortgage contracts signed involved 4,288 real estate properties, down by 18% and 7% respectively quarter-to-quarter. As regards construction in the private sector, floor area of construction of new buildings in the third quarter totalled 1,606,786 square metres, providing 439 units (413 are residential units), 4,794 parking spaces for cars and 1,502 parking spaces for motorcycles upon completion. Meanwhile, floor area of buildings completed totalled 5,882 square metres, altogether providing 82 units (69 are residential units). Purchase and sale of building units and parking spaces totalled 15,130 in the first three quarters of 2013, down by 17% year-to-year, while the total value rose by 6% to MOP73.52 billion. Among them, residential units purchased and sold decreased by 23% to 9,552, while the total value increased by 4% to MOP53.67 billion. Real estate sale contracts signed included 10,343 immovable properties, and mortgage contracts signed involved 12,787 properties in the first three quarters. Floor area of construction of new buildings totalled 2,302,583 square metres, providing 1,712 units (1,657 are residential units), 6,726 parking spaces for cars and 1,950 parking spaces for motorcycles upon completion. Floor area of buildings completed was 491,170 square metres, altogether providing 933 units, of which 862 were residential units.
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Secretary for Security, Mr Cheong Kouk Va, said today that the police will study more effective ways to prevent and combat crime. Mr Cheong said this at a press conference to release the crime statistics for the first nine months of this year, which saw a slight increase of 8.9 per cent to 10,193 cases, up 834 cases. This increase was attributed to crimes against society: arson, the use of forged doucments, and transferring counterfeit money and forgery. Meanwhile, thanks to promotional anti robbery campaigns, the number of such cases went down 29.4 per cent, from 401 cases to 283 cases, compared with the same period last year. In crimes against the person -- one of the five major categories of crimes classified in the Penal Code of Macao – wounding accounted for a rise of 3.5 per cent to1,271 cases. Criminal intimidation cases increased 71.4 per cent to 108 cases. Crimes against property increased 6.5 per cent to 5,707 cases while robbery cases recorded a drop of 19.2 per cent to 105 cases; theft cases dropped 5.2 per cent to 2,880 cases. Employment of illegal immigrants cases increased 15 per cent to 361 cases and drug abuse recorded an increase of 94.7 per cent and 23.6 per cent respectively. Juvenile crimes recorded 36 cases with a drop of 47.1 per cent from the corresponding period last year. The police also caught 32,321 illegal immigrants and overstayers in the first nine months. Among the overstayers, 963 (+88) were Mainland visitors who had entered Macao illigally, and 25,678 (+4,245) were Mainland visitors with identification documents of others. There were 2,179 (-143) foreign visitors who overstayed.
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The 18th European Union-Macao Joint Committee meeting was held in Macao on 15 November 2013, in accordance with Article 16 of the Agreement for Trade and Cooperation between the European Economic Community and Macao of 15 December 1992. This was the 12th annual meeting since China's resumption of the exercise of sovereignty over the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR). The previous meeting was held in Brussels on 4 December 2012. The Delegation of the Macao SAR was headed by Ms. Florinda da Rosa Silva Chan, Secretary for Administration and Justice. The Delegation of the European Union (EU) was led by Ambassador Viorel Isticioaia Budura, Managing Director for Asia and the Pacific of the European External Action Service. The 18th Joint Committee meeting coincided with the very special occasion of the 20th anniversary of the EU-Macao Trade and Cooperation Agreement, which has been in force since 1993. Macao and the EU jointly applauded the fruitful implementation of the Agreement over the past 20 years. The Agreement has given shape to an active cooperation agenda in many different sectors ranging from trade to culture. As a result of the Joint Committee mechanism established under the Agreement, a number of useful cooperation programmes and exchanges were successfully undertaken, fostering closer ties between Macao and the EU. Both sides reiterated their appreciation for the annual bilateral meeting as an effective forum to discuss issues of common interest and to explore further cooperation initiatives. They looked forward to the special events to mark the 20th anniversary of the Agreement, in particular a commemorative conference and an exhibition of artistic photographs of European capitals. They also noted the upcoming visit of the European Commission President José Manuel Durão Barroso to Macao on 23 November 2013. During the meeting, the parties reviewed the latest developments in the bilateral relationship and took stock of ongoing bilateral cooperation activities, including in areas identified during the previous meeting. Macao informed the EU of recent developments in the Special Administrative Region, including the steady growth of its economy over the last year, the new campus of University of Macau as well as the Guangdong-Macao Cooperation Industrial Park in Hengqin, new infrastructure developments, the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement with Mainland China, and efforts towards diversification of the economy. The EU updated Macao of its political and economic priorities, noting that the EU economy had returned to growth and the ongoing efforts in strengthening the governance of the financial sector. The EU pointed out the importance of EU-China relations with significant potential for further expanding trade and investment and strengthening of the relations. On EU-Macao cooperation, both sides welcomed the satisfactory implementation of the EU-Macao Legal Cooperation Project, which was aimed at strengthening Macao's legal system and enhancing public administration, legal and judicial expertise, and agreed to continue the project in due course. The two sides also expressed satisfaction with the start of the EU Academic Programme launched in 2012, and showed keen interest in the progress of the Programme. Macao and the EU welcomed the forthcoming signature in Macao of the EU-Macao Air Services Agreement during the visit of the European Commission President José Manuel Durão Barroso to Macao on 23 November 2013. Finally, the EU and Macao authorities expressed their shared intention to explore new areas of cooperation and to continue to cooperate in environmental protection, cultural and creative exchanges, all of which have been the subject of initiatives and events involving both sides following the last meeting in Brussels.
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A carnival and an exhibition featuring the services of 'Consumer Arbitration Centre' will be held by Consumer Council this Saturday (16th November) from 3PM to 5PM at D Assumpção Park. Citizens are welcome to participate in the event. To celebrate the 15th anniversary of the establishment of 'Consumer Arbitration Centre', series of activities were held earlier this year in different local communities to promote the Regulations and services of 'Consumer Arbitration Centre. Consumers were able to know more about the fair, efficient, and free of charge services provided by the Centre as well as the win-win benefits resulting from the solution of disputes through mediation and arbitration. Consumer Council continues to hold its carnivals and 'Consumer Arbitration Centre' exhibitions on Saturdays in November. Last week, consumers were excited to participate in the Q&A session at the carnival held at Flower City Garden in Taipa. The Council will have another carnival held at D Assumpção Park from 3PM to 5PM this Saturday. On-site quiz games, booth games and information about 'Consumer Arbitration Centre' will be exhibited during the event. For inquiry, please call 8988-9315.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that there were 28 banks in Macao and number of full-time employees totalled 5,503 at the end of the third quarter of 2013, an increase of 232 year-on-year. Analysed by occupation, directors and managers reached 1,322 and 2,163 were clerks, including 832 bank tellers. In September 2013, average earnings (excluding bonuses and allowances) of full-time employees amounted to MOP21,470, up by 1.5% year-on-year. Average earnings of bank tellers was MOP12,450, up by 1.0%. At the end of the third quarter of 2013, job vacancy totalled 159, similar to 155 a year earlier; vacancies for clerk stood at 95, including 57 for bank tellers. In terms of recruitment prerequisites, 44.7% of the vacancies required working experience, 80.5% required tertiary education, and requirement for knowledge of Mandarin and English stood at 98.1% and 94.3% respectively. In the third quarter of 2013, the Banking Sector hired 376 new employees; the employee recruitment rate (6.9%) and turnover rate (5.4%) edged down by 0.4 and 0.3 percentage points year-on-year, indicating that human resources of the Banking Sector was stable in this quarter.
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The Monetary Authority of Macao announced today that the preliminary estimate of Macao SAR's foreign exchange reserves amounted to MOP129.1 billion (USD16.16 billion) at the end of October 2013. The reserves fell by 0.9% from the revised value of MOP130.3 billion (USD16.31 billion) for the previous month. When compared with a year earlier, the reserves dropped by MOP4.8 billion or 3.6%. Macao SAR's foreign exchange reserves at end-October 2013 represented 15 times the currency in circulation or 124.4% of Pataca M2 at end-September 2013. The trade-weighted effective exchange rate index for the pataca, a gauge of the domestic currency's exchange rates against the currencies of Macao's major trading partners, dropped 0.97 points month-to-month and 0.56 points year-on-year to 96.51 in October 2013. For enquiry, please contact:
Research and Statistics Department, Monetary Authority of Macao (Tel: 83952532; Fax: 28353042)
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"The Agreement for Trade and Cooperation between the European Economic Community and Macao" was signed on 15th December 1992 and implemented since 1993. In order to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the implementation of the Agreement, the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region and the EU Office to Hong Kong and Macao have organized a series of commemorative activities, including a "Conference on the occasion of the 20th Anniversary of EU-Macao Trade and Cooperation Agreement", together with a reception and a soft launch of the EU photo exhibition titled "Homo Urbanus Europeanus" to be held in the afternoon on 15th November at the Macao Science Centre. Delegation of the EU led by Ambassador Viorel Isticioaia Budura, Managing Director for Asia-Pacific, European External Action Service, will arrive at Macao to attend the "18th EU-Macao Joint Committee Meeting" with the delegation of Macao headed by Secretary for Administration and Justice Florinda Chan, and the celebrations for the 20th anniversary on the same day.
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Consumer Council conducted its 'Supermarket price survey' for November on 13th November for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12th 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), 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 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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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that visitor arrivals in package tour surged by 26.0% year-on-year to 944,188 in September 2013. Visitors in package tour mostly came from Mainland China (759,272), with 272,532 from Guangdong Province, followed by Taiwan, China (56,789); Hong Kong (35,650); and the Republic of Korea (35,610). In the first three quarters of 2013, visitors in package tour totalled 7,413,696, up by 12.8% year-on-year. Outbound residents using services of travel agencies were 110,360 in September, up by 4.9% year-on-year; those travelling in package tour totalled 38,651 and the main destinations were Mainland China; Taiwan, China; Hong Kong and Thailand. In the first nine months of 2013, outbound residents increased by 14.7% year-on-year to 1,069,358 and 405,327 travelled in package tour. There were 98 hotels and guesthouses operating at the end of September 2013, providing 27,807 guest rooms, up by 6.7% year-on-year, of which the 5-star hotels had 18,378 rooms, accounting for 66.1% of the total. In September 2013, a total of 862,470 guests checked into hotels and guesthouses, up by 10.3% year-on-year, with 503,784 staying in 5-star hotels (+14.2%). The average length of stay of guests held stable as September 2012, at 1.3 nights. The average occupancy rate was 82.7%, up by 1.8 percentage points year-on-year, with 4-star hotels leading at 85.8%. Total number of guests was 7,992,647 in the first nine months of 2013, an increase of 13.9% year-on-year; the average occupancy rate stood at 81.9%, down by 1.2 percentage points. From January to September 2013, visitor-guests took up 70.2% of the total number of overnight visitors, higher than the 64.8% in the same period of 2012.
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Chief Executive Mr Chui Sai On said today the Government would put emphasis on the cultivation of local talents by adhering to the principle of "Building Macao with talented individuals". He disclosed this when he attended the plenary meeting of the Legislative Assembly where he answered questions from 30 legislators on his Policy Address for the Fiscal Year 2014, which he delivered yesterday. The questions today ranged from policies on housing, lands, education, fiscal reserves, support for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), protecting local employees' rights, food safety, taxation and youth affairs. In his blueprint for the next year, Mr Chui unveiled that talent cultivation to be one of the long-term mechanisms for effective administration. This mechanism should combine with the existing education system, and the Government would continuously optimise the development of non-tertiary and tertiary education, he said. All in all, by implementing these mechanisms more local talents would be cultivated to support the needs of Macao's sustainable development and diversification of its economy. The Chief Executive said a talent development committee directly under him would soon be set up, with members drawn from the community, education and human resource sectors. The Government would also roll out initiatives to attract local and oversea students to work in Macao, Mr Chui said. Meanwhile, the principle of ensuring the employment of local people first remains unchanged. He said by supportive policies, the Government would encourage companies to promote upward mobility of local employees; but employees should also better equip themselves. The Chief Executive stressed that the implementation of professional accreditation, which is the focal part of this talent cultivation mechanism, is also the direction of development of the whole society. It will advance the comphensive level of the people of Macao and push to develop a diversified economy. Housing policy attracted the most questions. Mr Chui said that in addition to the completion of 19,000 public housing units, some 6,300 more units are under construction; land has also been reserved in the newly reclaimed area for more public housing. Mr Chui disclosed that the Government has also started the process to recover 28 plots of land granted earlier to developers, but which are still lying vacant, with the view to use the regained plots for public housing in the future. Mr Chui said he also agreed with the idea of provident fund linked home ownership schemes in operation in the region, which he said could be of benefit to the community, but the Government would need time to study if it would be practical for Macao. He said public opinion would also be sought on this. Another most frequently asked question was for the support for SMEs. Mr Chui said SMEs were indispensable in pushing for a more diversified economy and that the Government was in favour of providing low-rent shops of adequate sizes in publish housing estates for the SMEs. Mr Chui also revealed that a business area had been set up for Macao SMEs in the marine-themed Chimelong Resort, which is under construction in Hengqin, Zhuhai. The Government would also put in resources to support Macao SMEs to operate there, he added.
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