News

The Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) released results of the Employment Survey for the fourth quarter of 2010, of which principal indicators such as the overall unemployment rate (2.7%) and unemployment rate of local residents (3.3%) were published in January. Total labour force was 331,000 in the fourth quarter of 2010, comprising 322,000 employed and 8,900 unemployed. Compared with the third quarter, total labour force and number of the employed increased by 1,300 and 1,700 respectively, while number of the unemployed decreased by 500. Analyzed by industry, the majority of the employed were engaging in Recreational, Cultural, Gaming & Other Services (24.1%) and Wholesale & Retail Trade (13.7%). In terms of occupation, most of the employed were Clerks (including casino dealers, floorpersons, betting service operators, etc.) and Service & Sales Workers, accounting for 27.5% and 20.9% respectively. Median monthly employment earnings of both the employed (MOP9,000) and the local residents (MOP10,000) held stable as the third quarter of 2010. Number of the underemployed totalled 5,700, with 62.9% engaging in Construction and 15.3% in Transport, Storage & Communications. In respect of the unemployed, 89.5% were searching for a new job and 10.5% were fresh labour force entrants searching for their first job. With regard to educational attainment, 32.0% had primary education or lower, 26.8% had junior secondary education and 24.4% had senior secondary education. For the unemployed that were searching for a new job, analyzed by industry previously engaged, 24.0% had worked in Construction and 18.3% in Hotels, Restaurants & Similar Activities. Analyzed by previous occupation, 24.5% were Service & Sales Workers and 20.7% were Clerks. For the whole year of 2010, median monthly employment earnings of the employed (MOP9,000) rose by 5.9% over 2009, while that of the local residents (MOP10,000) remained unchanged. In 2010, average number of the employed per household was 1.8 and the median monthly employment earnings per household increased by 3.2% year-on-year to MOP16,300.
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From February 15 until 5p.m. of February 21, the Cross-departmental Working Team sealed one more premise suspected to provide accommodation illegally. During the operation, one overstayer was found on site. Meanwhile, three more operators who provided accommodation illegally were fined 200 000 patacas. To date, 18 operators were seized and half of them (nine people) were fined. Since the Cross-departmental Working Team started operations, 1,252 premise-checks were conducted, involving 826 premises, of which 108 premises suspected to provide accommodation illegally were sealed, while 120 were normal residences. Ensuing investigations on the rest of the premises have been launched. Among the checked premises, some were vacant or unoccupied. Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) and the Public Security Police Force (PSP) will continue investigation on unanswered doors, which are suspected to be used to provide accommodation illegally. Meanwhile, during investigations to other cases, PSP has found 24 premises suspected to provide accommodation illegally and informed the Cross-departmental Working Team to handle the cases. Since the law on "Prohibition of Providing Illegal Accommodation" took effect on August 13, Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) has waged a total of 108 sanctions and nine operators who provided accommodation illegally were fined 200 000 patacas according to the law on "Prohibition of Providing Illegal Accommodation" . Other cases are in different stages of sanction proceedings. To date, the operations involved 1,081 occupants, among whom 495 were occupants of premises suspected to provide accommodation illegally and were investigated, including 27 overstayers and 18 illegal immigrants. 18 operators, 14 touts, 19 persons who managed the premises that provide accommodation illegally (management staff) and 10 occupants who failed to fulfill their duty of cooperation were seized on site. MGTO has begun sanction proceedings on offenders according to the law on "Prohibition of Providing Illegal Accommodation". If the nine operators who provided accommodation illegally, who were fined 200 000 patacas, do not pay within the statutory period, the Financial Services Bureau will enforce the collection of fine. Meanwhile, the 10 occupants who failed to fulfill their duty of cooperation were fined 3 000 patacas each, among which four have paid the fine. For those who fail to pay the fine within the statutory period, MGTO has notified the Financial Services Bureau to enforce the collection of fine and informed PSP that the involved persons should pay the fine or their reentry into Macau will be denied. According to the law, operators and persons who manage the premises that provide accommodation illegally (management staff) incur a penalty of up to 800 000 patacas, touts can be fined up to 100 000 patacas, persons who fail to cooperate can be fined up to 20 000 patacas and occupants who fail to cooperate are fined 3 000 patacas. Following the raid to premises suspected to provide accommodation illegally, MGTO began sanction proceedings on involved operators, touts and managing staff, and adopted provisional measures to cut the supply of water and electricity to the concerned premises and sealed the doors. Public can also call 2833 3000 to report suspected premises.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that the Composite CPI (107.16) for January 2011 rose by 4.92% year-on-year; the increment was attributable to rising index of Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages; Miscellaneous Goods & Services; and Housing & Fuels. Among the different sections, notable increase was observed in the price index of Miscellaneous Goods & Services (+9.21%), Clothing & Footwear (+6.86%), Transport (+6.71%), Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages (+6.13%) and Health (+5.75%), which was caused by higher charges for meals bought away from home, hairdressing and grooming services, and outbound package tours, dearer prices of clothing and footwear, airfare and general food items near the Lunar New year, as well as rising prices of gasoline and LP-gas. On the contrary, reduced charges for mobile phone services lowered the price index of Communication by 8.35% year-on-year. The CPI-A (106.49) and CPI-B (107.37) for January 2011 rose by 4.75% and 5.05% year-on-year respectively. The Composite CPI for January 2011 increased by 0.93% month-to-month, with marked increase in the price indices of Miscellaneous Goods & Services (+2.83%), Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages (+1.93%), and Transport (+1.04%); however, price index of Communication registered a decrease of 8.03%. Meanwhile, the CPI-A and CPI-B increased by 1.11% and 0.89% respectively month-to-month. For the 12 months ended January 2011, the average Composite CPI rose by 3.21% from the preceding period; at the same time, the average CPI-A and CPI-B increased by 2.75% and 3.37% respectively. The 2008/2009-based Composite CPI reflects the impact of price changes on the general population. The CPI-A relates to about 50% of the households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP6,000 to MOP18,999. The CPI-B relates to about 30% of the households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP19,000 to MOP34,999.
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For the purpose of promoting the development of local cultural and creative industries, the Cultural Affairs Bureau is now launching the fifth phase of the “Cultural and Creative Industries Information Collection Project”. This database aims to collect information on all professional companies and institutions in the local film & video, as well as anime & comic industries, respectively. In addition, the current phase also seeks information on all professional companies or institutions that tender cultural and creative products, project planning, technical support, provision of activities venues, or any other related services. From now until 31 March 2011, all relevant parties are invited to submit information to the Cultural Affairs Bureau. Information collection forms can be downloaded from the Cultural Affairs Bureau website (www.icm.gov.mo/dpicc). The establishment of this Database will facilitate the government’s enactment of favourable policies towards the development and promotion of Macao’s cultural and creative industries. Furthermore, the Cultural Affairs Bureau also envisions the creation of a dedicated website, and the publication of a magazine. These information platforms will allow users to freely access and exchange information related to the cultural and creative industries of Macao. Interested parties should complete and submit the form, along with supporting electronic files, to the Department for the Promotion of Cultural and Creative Industries of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, located at Praça do Tap Seac. For enquiries, please call 8399 6919 (Ms. Lam or Ms. Lao) during office hours or email us at info.dpicc@icm.gov.mo.
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The Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) was informed by the Consulate General of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic in Hong Kong that holders of the Macao SAR Passports with a passport of at least 6 months validity and 2 recent photos can obtain visa-on-arrival at any designated international port of entry in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic for a stay not exceeding 30 days. At present, a total of 87 countries and territories have agreed to grant visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to the Macao SAR passport holders, while 9 countries have agreed to grant the visa-free access to the Macao SAR Travel Permit holders.
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Owing to a tropical cyclone in Northern Territory and flooding in Queensland, Macao Post announced that all mail delivery services (including Correspondence, Printed Matters, Small Packet, Parcel and EMS) from Macao to the areas bearing the following postal codes are subject to delay until further notice. Affected Region Postal Codes
Northern Territory 0800 – 0999
Queensland 4000 – 4999 Thank you for your kind attention.
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Consumer Council’s latest ‘Supermarket Price Survey Report’ was conducted on 17th February. In comparison with last month’s data, over 40% surveyed samples, mainly canned foods and milk products, recorded increase in their prices; around 35% surveyed samples recorded decrease in prices while other 52 samples remained unchanged. In comparison with last month’s data, prices of 11 out of 18 surveyed canned foods had risen from less than 0.5% to 6.5%; prices of over 10 milk products had also risen from 1% to 3%. Average price of “Bak Fok Beancurd for Steaming (390ml)” had risen by 14% since last month, “Imperial Banquet Premium Thai Fragrant Rice (5kg)” also recorded an increase of 13%. In the current survey, stability in prices was shown in categories like cooking oil and rice. Over half of the surveyed cooking oil samples recorded unchanged data or slight decrease since last month. Stability in the prices of rice was also shown in another specific price survey report on rice conducted by the Council, only a few samples recorded price increases. Prices of 23 sanitary and hygienic products surveyed had also dropped since last month. The latest ‘Supermarket Price Survey Report’ and the specific price survey report on rice are now accessible on the Council’s website (www.consumer.gov.mo). Reports are also available free of charge at the two offices of the Consumer Council, local markets, bookstores and libraries. Consumers may also access the resources online at the Council’s official website (http://www.consumer.gov.mo) or through WAP channels on their mobile phones. For enquiry, please call 8988 9315
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The Monetary Authority of Macao released today the credit card statistics for the fourth quarter of 2010. The total number of personal credit cards in circulation was 426,976 at the end of December 2010, representing an increase of 6.02% from a quarter ago. The numbers of Pataca (MOP) cards, Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) cards and Renminbi (RMB) cards were 337,536, 59,944 and 29,496 respectively. MOP cards, HKD cards and RMB cards witnessed respective increases of 5.04%, 2.44% and 29.00% quarter-to-quarter. On an annual basis, RMB cards soared 83.56% while MOP cards and HKD cards rose 17.56% and 6.92% respectively. As at the end of December 2010, credit card credit limit granted by banks in Macao reached MOP7.65 billion, up 4.75% from end-September 2010. Credit card receivables amounted to MOP1.30 billion while the rollover amount totalled MOP0.44 billion, accounting for 33.90% of credit card receivables. The delinquency ratio, i.e. the ratio of delinquent amount overdue for more than three months to credit card receivables, was 0.72%. In the fourth quarter of 2010, the credit card turnover grew by 23.99% quarter-to-quarter to MOP2.48 billion. The cash advance turnover was MOP0.13 billion, accounting for 5.07% of total credit card turnover. Credit card repayments, in which payments for interest and fees are included, went up 17.30% from the previous quarter to MOP2.39 billion.
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A memorandum concerning strategic cooperative relations in the field of record management was signed between the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao Special Administrative Region and the People’s University of China. Under the agreement, both parties will cooperate on a mutually beneficial and complementary basis in planning and implementing joint projects focusing on technical and theoretical issues, capacity building and other aspects in the field of archival and records management. The signing ceremony took place in the auditorium of the Cultural Affairs Bureau at 4pm on February 17th. On behalf of their institutions, President of Cultural Affairs Bureau, Dr. Ung Vai Meng signed a MOU with Vice Rector of the People’s University of China, Professor Feng Huiling. The agreement comes following negotiations between the two institutions, after contacts between the Historical Archives of Macao, a unit of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, and the School of Information Resource Management of People’s University of China with the goal of establishing comprehensive and intensive strategic and cooperative relations in the field of record management. In the spirit of "mutually beneficial cooperation, complementary advantages, shared achievements, progressive development and an emphasis on effectiveness", both parties will cooperate in planning and implementing joint projects focusing on technical and theoretical issues, strengthening of capacity building, policy formulation and the development of systems and standards, all in the field of archival and records management. Dr. Ung Vai Meng noted that the Historical Archives of Macao will make full use of its resources and advantages to actively provide opportunities to the School of Information Resource Management of the People’s University of China in terms of teachers’ research and study and student internship, while the School of Information Resource Management of the People’s University of China will provide the Historical Archives of Macao with services in the areas of theoretical guidance, technical support, capacity building, plan and policy formulation and system and standard establishment. The School of Information Resource Management of the People’s University of China is a specialist institution for teaching and research activities in the field of information resource management, information systems, and archival studies in China. It has played a key role in the development and implementation of China’s national strategies for electronic records management.
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The drive by Macau to stage more major international events beyond 2011 stepped into top gear this week through its presence at Australia’s vital 19th annual AIME, the premier meetings and incentives gathering in the Asia-Pacific region. Leading industry delegates converged on the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre to learn more about Macau’s established and ever-increasing number of sophisticated and, in some quarters, unique venues, hotels, attractions, restaurants, activities and industry programs. On the Macau Government Tourist Office/Macau Business Tourism Centre stand were representatives from such leading hotels as the Mandarin Oriental Macau, The Venetian Macao Resort Hotel, Grand Hyatt Macau and Sofitel Macau at Ponte 16. Off-Site Connections Event Management (Macau) Ltd. was also represented at the two-day exhibition/workshops along with DOC DMC Macau and Macau Able Tours Ltd, “AIME is vital for taking enquiries and bookings for future events in Macau,” said Helen Wong, Representative of the Macau Government Tourist Office in Australia and New Zealand. “Much important business took place throughout the event. It’s an exciting meeting point for those wanting to know more about Macau and its credentials to host quality events beyond 2011.” In addition to its presence at AIME, Macau hosted a gala luncheon for industry figures and media at Crown Hotel as well as organise an exclusive press conference at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. “During the media conference, attendees learn about the exciting new developments as well as those established – and unique – projects, UNESCO World Heritage-protected sites, contemporary attractions and shows, and activities,” said Ms Wong. ”It truly is an ideal time for us to showcase Macau to the expanding MICE market. Exciting times are ahead for Macau and its unique features.” Among the highlights for visitors to AIME were the forums involving keynote speakers, seminars and networking opportunities.
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