News

Macao will conduct the 15th Population Census and the 5th Housing Census in August 2011 to collect the latest information on the demographic and housing aspects. Population Census, conducted every 10 years, requires considerable human resources to assist in all stages of work. The Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) is recruiting temporary staff from 6 December 2010 to 17 June 2011. More than 2,000 enumerators and internal staff are needed in the 2011 Population Census. The enumerators will be responsible to conduct interviews with households to gather information; meanwhile, internal staff will help in collating data, filing, answering phone enquiries, arranging appointments, etc. at the Census stations. Applying for the temporary job of the Population Census is easy and quick. All Macao permanent residents (including those studying aboard) with secondary education or higher who reach 18 years old before 1 July 2011 are eligible to apply. Those who are interested can browse the 2011 Population Census website (www.dsec.gov.mo/censos2011) and complete a simple quiz online. Applicants who pass the quiz can advance to the interview phase that will take place from end-December 2010 to June 2011; the applicants can select a convenient date for the interview (e.g. before or after Christmas, Lunar New Year, Easter holidays, etc.). Successful applicants will be selected as candidates or alternates to the training according to the results. Those who have completed the training course in July may have the opportunity to join the 2011 Population Census team. Population Census offers a great opportunity to work this meaningful operation. All permanent residents in Macao or studying abroad are most welcome to work for the Census, contribute to the future of Macao while making good use of the Summer holidays. Please browse DSEC website for details.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the value of total merchandise export for October 2010 decreased by 3.2% year-on-year to MOP568 million; value of domestic exports rose by 31.4% to MOP237 million, the first rebound since March 2008, while value of re-exports decreased by 18.5% to MOP331 million. The value of total merchandise import amounted to MOP3.76 billion, up by 17.5% year-on-year. A trade deficit of MOP3.19 billion was recorded for October 2010. In the first ten months of 2010, total value of merchandise export fell by 7.9% year-on-year to MOP5.86 billion, of which the value of domestic exports declined by 22.4%, but that of re-exports rose by 2.0%; meanwhile, total value of merchandise import grew by 19.4% to MOP35.63 billion. The trade deficit from January to October 2010 widened by 26.8% year-on-year to MOP29.77 billion; the exports/imports ratio went down by 4.9 percentage points year-on-year to 16.4%. Analyzed by destination of exported goods, value of merchandise export to Hong Kong (MOP2.52 billion) and Mainland China (MOP936 million) in the first ten months of 2010 increased by 3.9% and 1.6% respectively year-on-year, while that to the USA (MOP688 million) and the EU (MOP331 million) decreased substantially by 41.4% and 40.3% respectively. Exports of Textile & garment amounted to MOP1.37 billion, down by 37.5% year-on-year to account for 23.4% of the total merchandise export; however, value of Non-textile exports (MOP4.48 billion) grew by 7.7%, with that of Copper & articles thereof and Clocks & watches rising notably by 54.5% and 40.3% respectively. Regarding the country of origin of imported goods, in the first ten months of 2010, value of merchandise import from Mainland China (MOP11.05 billion) and the EU (MOP7.85 billion) expanded by 16.6% and 26.9% respectively year-on-year. The value of imports of Consumer goods rose by 35.2% year-on-year, with that of Motor cars & motorcycles growing significantly by 82.0%; nevertheless, the value of imports of Capital goods and Raw materials & semi-manufactures fell by 2.3% and 0.9% respectively. From January to October 2010, total value of merchandise import and export amounted to MOP41.48 billion, up by 14.6% compared with MOP36.20 billion in the first ten months of 2009.
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From November 23 until 5p.m. today (29), the Cross-departmental Working Team sealed one more premise suspected to provide accommodation illegally. Since the law on "Prohibition of Providing Illegal Accommodation" took effect on August 13, Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) has waged a total of 88 sanctions, among which one sanction proceeding has been completed and an operator who provided accommodation illegally was fined 200 000 patacas. Other cases are in different stages of sanction proceedings. Since the Cross-departmental Working Team started operations, to date, 1,108 premise-checks were conducted, involving 756 premises, of which 88 premises suspected to provide accommodation illegally were sealed, while 116 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 18 premises suspected to provide accommodation illegally and informed the Cross-departmental Working Team to handle the cases. To date, the operations involved more than 896 occupants, among whom 393 were occupants of premises suspected to provide accommodation illegally and were investigated, including 17 overstayers and 14 illegal immigrants. 13 operators, 13 touts, 13 persons who manage the premises that provide accommodation illegally (managing staff) and six 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 operator who provided accommodation illegally, who was fined 200 000 patacas, does not pay within the statutory period, the Financial Services Bureau will enforce the collection of fine. Meanwhile, the six occupants who failed to fulfill their duty of cooperation were fined 3 000 patacas each, among which three 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 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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A detailed price comparison report on local rice prices for the first half year is available in Consumer Report issue No.206. An average price increase of 5 per cent was recorded for Thai rice brands during the first seven months of this year. Consumer Council pays special attention to local rice prices and a specific price report is conducted each month, covering price data from almost 30 local retail spots. Around 70 per cent of surveyed samples come from Thailand, other surveyed rice brands come from Japan and Australia. According to the Council’s data, prices of Thai rice brands increased significantly in the last quarter of 2009, recording an average price increase of up to 10 per cent. Prices then continued to rise in 2010 at an unhurried pace of less than 1 per cent and had become quite stable since this March. During the first 6 months, price increases ranged from 1 to 5 per cent due to import price and special promotions, etc. Prices of brands from other countries tend to be stable. The Council will continue to keep an eye on the market price trend and provide sufficient information to consumers. Consumer Report is now available free of charge at the two offices of the Consumer Council, bookstores and libraries. Consumers may also access the resources online at the Council’s official website (http://www.consumer.gov.mo). For inquiries, please call 8988 9315.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that consumption of Electricity increased by 17.3% over the previous quarter to 1.12 billion kWh in the third quarter of 2010 upon the hot Summer weather. Electricity consumption by Households surged by 34.2% to 250 million kWh, and that by the Business sector increased by 12.8% to 819 million kWh (Gaming sector shared 46.3%). Meanwhile, local generation of Electricity reached 375 million kWh, up notably by 65.6% quarter-to-quarter; imports of Electricity increased by 9.7% to 839 million kWh, accounting for 69.9% of the total available supply. For the first three quarters of 2010, local generation of Electricity decreased by 37.3% year-on-year to 806 million kWh, while imports (2.183 billion kWh) and consumption (2.817 billion kWh) of Electricity increased by 41.2% and 6.6% respectively. Imports of Natural Gas for electricity generation increased further to 55.86 million cubic metres in the third quarter, soaring by 88.9% from the previous quarter. For the first three quarters of 2010, imports of Natural Gas totalled 112 million cubic metres, up by 41.4% year-on-year. In the third quarter of 2010, consumption of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) decreased by 15.9% quarter-to-quarter to 8,406 tonnes, of which consumption by Households (2,562 tonnes) and the Business sector (5,795 tonnes) fell by 22.9% and 12.5% respectively. Meanwhile, imports of LPG decreased by 17.3% from the previous quarter to 7,685 tonnes, with the average price of imports dropping by 2.5% to MOP7.57 per kg. For the first three quarters of 2010, imports of LPG (29,344 tonnes) increased by 3.7% year-on-year. In addition, the average price of Bottled LPG and Centralized LPG decreased by 8.1% and 7.3% respectively quarter-to-quarter on account of lower prices of import; however, the average price increased by 5.3% and 5.0% respectively year-on-year. At the end of the third quarter, stock of LPG (2,288 tonnes), Fuel Oil (19.69 million litres) and Gas oil & diesel (23.93 million litres) registered quarter-to-quarter decrease of 23.6%, 15.7% and 0.5% respectively.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the unemployment rate for August-October 2010 was 2.9% and the underemployment rate was 1.6%, both remained unchanged from the previous period (July-September 2010). Total labour force was 330,000 in August-October 2010 and the labour force participation rate stood at 71.7%, with the employed population increasing by about 400 over the previous period to 321,000. Analyzed by industry, employment of Retail Trade saw increase, while that of Real Estate & Business Activities registered a decrease. Number of the unemployed held stable at 9,400, with 19.9% being fresh labour force entrants searching for their first job, up by 0.9 percentage point over the previous period. In comparison with August-October 2009, the unemployment rate and the underemployment rate dropped by 0.6 and 0.3 percentage point respectively; meanwhile, the labour force participation rate stayed unchanged.
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A price check on canned foods and beverage items has been conducted by Consumer Council earlier (25th November). Significant price increases are observed in both ‘Narcissus Brand Spiced Pork Cubes (142g)’ and ‘Porthos Sardines in Olive Oil (125g)’. Selling price of ‘Narcissus Brand Spiced Pork Cubes (142g)’ has been increased by 20 per cent in one retail outlet and price increases are recorded at six retail outlets for ‘Porthos Sardines in Olive Oil (125g)’, with a price rise of almost 13 per cent. For beverages, average prices of most products have dropped or remained stable in the past three months. However, a 25 % increase in price is recorded for ‘Vita Pure Distilled Water (700ml)’ in one retail spot while ‘Vita Lemon Tea (250ml x 6)’ records a 2 per cent increase in price. Selling prices of other sample remain unchanged. Consumers are advised to check with the reports for the most updated prices in different retail stores to save time and money. The Council will continue to monitor local price trend of both beverages and canned foods. The above-mentioned reports are now available online at the Council’s official website (http://www.consumer.gov.mo). For enquiries, please call 8988 9315.
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To embody the national spirit of protection of intangible cultural heritage and outstanding folk arts, and to fulfil the obligations of Macao in joining UNESCO’s Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, and co-ordinate with the declaration works of Taoist Ritual Music in Macao as a national intangible cultural heritage, the Macao Museum under the Cultural Affairs Bureau will organize a themed exhibition entitled Heavenly Harmonies – Taoist Ritual Music in Macao in December this year. To complement the exhibition, it will host two seminars in the Macao Museum Auditorium prior to and during the exhibition. The first session will be held on Saturday 27th November. Interested parties and residents are welcome to enrol for the seminar. Following the successful inscription of ‘Macao Religious Figure Carving’ on the list of the second batch of National Intangible Cultural Heritage on 14th June 2008, the Macao Museum under the Cultural Affairs Bureau once again initiated the declaration for three items, namely “Taoist Ritual Music in Macao”, “Cantonese Naamyam (Narrative Songs)”, and “Feast of the Drunken Dragon”. The relevant documents were submitted to the Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China in September 2009. The results will be announced by the State Council of the People’s Republic of China by the end of this year. Taoism is a religion native to China. Taoist Ritual Music, which is commonly used in Taoist ceremonies, remains an integral part of traditional Chinese folk music. As at the present, Macao has preserved nearly 500 items of Taoist Ritual Music from the Lingnan Zhengyi and Quanzhen schools. Such a large number of repertoires is unrivalled by any other Taoist ritual music genre in the world. The two seminars - known as ‘The Influence of Taoist Ritual Music in Macao’ and ‘The Value of Taoist Ritual Music’ - will be held on Saturday 27th November from 6:30pm to 8:30pm and on Saturday 18th December from 3:00pm to 5:00pm, respectively. The Macao Museum has specially invited Wang Zhongren, a former associate professor of Wuhan Conservatory of Music, to speak at the seminars, which are conducted in Mandarin. Through the seminars, the organizer seeks to enable audiences to recognise the historical context and characteristics of the traditional folk music of Taoist Ritual Music in Macao. Interested parties may call 83941204 for enrolment during opening hours of the Macao Museum (10:00am-6:00pm, closed on Mondays). Seats are limited and reserved on a first-come, first-served basis. For relevant details, please visit the Macao Museum website (www.macaumuseum.gov.mo).
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Macau Government Tourist Office takes part in the IT Week 2010 and introduces its latest service, “Online Payment”, in line with the development of e-government. IT Week 2010 is held from November 26 to 28 at the Tap Seac Multisport Pavilion, and MGTO has set up a booth to promote “MacauMap” and highlight the newly launched “Online Payment” service as well as other IT applications related to tourism. MGTO is gradually proceeding with “Online Payment” service, starting with payment procedures for tour guide card renewal and enrollment to join promotional activities. “Online Payment” service employs the most widely used encryption methodology, and through this secure and express platform, the travel trade can complete payment procedures for various kinds of services regardless of time and place. The users just need to log in to MGTO’s website and follow the instructions to proceed easily through the operations.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that inward foreign direct investment (FDI) amounted to MOP 22.12 billion in 2009, up by MOP 1.34 billion over 2008, with the investment in the Gaming Sector accounting for 70.7% of the total, at MOP 15.64 billion, followed by that in the Financial Sector (MOP 3.49 billion) and the Wholesale & Retail Sector (MOP 1.54 billion), sharing 15.8% and 7.0% respectively. Analyzed by investors’ place of usual residence, investment came mainly from the United States (MOP 8.86 billion), Hong Kong (MOP 7.23 billion) and the Cayman Islands (MOP 2.28 billion). In addition to a disinvestment of MOP 5.66 billion of outward FDI by local enterprises, Macao registered a net FDI inflow of MOP 27.77 billion in 2009. In 2009, income earned by investors from inward FDI totalled MOP 21.99 billion, an increase of MOP 323 million year-on-year. Meanwhile, Macao enterprises also recorded an income of MOP 338 million from outward FDI. At the end of 2009, stock of inward FDI to Macao reached MOP 96.81 billion, an increase of MOP 12.73 billion from 2008. Analyzed by industry, the majority was invested in the Gaming Sector, at MOP 67.19 billion, up by MOP 8.98 billion year-on-year; meanwhile, stock of FDI in the Financial Sector (MOP 19.12 billion) and the Wholesale & Retail Sector (MOP 3.90 billion) shared 19.7% and 4.0% respectively. Analyzed by investors’ place of usual residence, stock of FDI mainly came from Hong Kong (MOP 31.78 billion), the United States (MOP 23.47 billion) and the Cayman Islands (MOP 19.17 billion), up by MOP 3.64 billion, MOP 6.05 billion and MOP 2.18 billion respectively year-on-year. Furthermore, stock of outward FDI made by Macao enterprises amounted to MOP 1.92 billion at the end of 2009, down significantly by MOP 5.80 billion from 2008. Outward FDI was mainly invested in the British Virgin Islands, Hong Kong and Mainland China. Direct Investment Statistics facilitate analysis of FDI profile between Macao and other economies. For statistical purposes, Macao and Mainland China are considered as two separate economies. Coverage of the Direct Investment Statistics included the major industries of Macao, namely Industrial Production; Construction; Wholesale & Retail; Hotels & Restaurants; Transport, Storage & Communications; Financial Services; Gaming; and Cultural, Recreational & Other Services. In 2009, Macao had 2,082 inward FDI enterprises, with 2,033 engaging in the Non-Financial Sector and 49 in the Financial Sector.
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