News

Statistics and Census Service released the results of Employment Survey for the second quarter of 2006. Principal indicators such as the labour force participation rate, unemployment rate and underemployment rate have been published in the brief report in July. In the second quarter of 2006, total labour force was estimated at 274,000; the employed and unemployed populations were 264,000 and 10,000 respectively. Compared with the previous quarter, the employed population increased 8,500, while the unemployed population decreased 100. Regarding the employed population, 53.3% were male. Analyzed by industry, the majority of the employed population were engaging in Recreational, cultural, gaming & other services (19.1%), Wholesale & retail trade (14.5%), Manufacturing (12.0%), as well as the Construction sector (11.8%). In terms of occupation, 21.9% of the employed population were Clerks (including casino dealers, floorpersons, betting service operators, etc.), 21.2% were Service & sales workers and 16.9% were Unskilled workers. The median actual hours worked per week was 47.1 hours; the median monthly employment earnings was MOP6,438. Within the unemployed, 90.4% were searching for a new job, while 9.6% had never worked and were searching for their first job. With regard to the educational attainment, 9.2% had lower than primary education; 29.5% had primary education; 34.6% had junior secondary education; 18.5% had senior secondary education and 8.3% had tertiary education. For the unemployed that were searching for a new job: Analyzed by the previous industry engaged, the majority had worked in Manufacturing (18.5%); Hotels, restaurants & similar activities (18.3%); Construction sector (17.3%); as well as Wholesale & retail trade (16.7%). In terms of the previous occupation, 35.6% were Service & sales workers; Unskilled workers (21.7%) and Craft and similar workers (14.8%).
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service shows that in the second quarter of 2006, construction of 9 buildings was started, with 152 units and 127,264 m² in gross floor area, down 50.3% and 87.5% respectively over the second quarter of 2005, and down 88.9% and 55.6% respectively in comparison with the first quarter of 2006. A sum of 359 parking spaces for cars and 44 parking spaces for motorcycles were provided. In the first half of 2006, the newly started buildings provided 1,524 units and 413,728 m² in gross floor area, up 59.1% and down 62.3% respectively in comparison with the same period of 2005. In the second quarter of 2006, a total of 21 buildings were completed or extended, involving 501 units and 345,581 m² in gross floor area, up 26.8 times and 52.2 times respectively over the second quarter of 2005, and up 41.5% and 91.3% respectively in comparison with the first quarter of 2006. A sum of 1,722 parking spaces for cars and 997 parking spaces for motorcycles were provided. In the first half of 2006, the completed and extended buildings provided 855 units and 526,214 m² in gross floor area, up 11.8 times and 4.9 times respectively in comparison with the same period of 2005. In the second quarter of 2006, the number of residential buildings completed and extended was only 5, supplying 453 building units, which went up 31.4 times and 39.8% over the second quarter of 2005 and the first quarter of 2006 respectively. The housing units were mainly T4 and over (i.e., with four or more rooms), making up 98% (444 units) of the total. The number of housing units completed in the first half of 2006 was 777 units, an increase of 15.5 times compared with the same period of 2005.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that per-capita spending of visitors amounted to MOP 1,468 in the second quarter of 2006, up by 10% over the same period of 2005. Per-capita spending of Mainland visitors led with MOP 2,875, while that of Hong Kong visitors was MOP-919. Moreover, per-capita spending of tourists and same-day visitors were MOP 2,091 and MOP 522 respectively, up by 10% and 13% compared with the second quarter of 2005. Per-capita non-shopping spending (excluding gaming expenses) of visitors increased by 2% year-on-year to MOP 800, of which the expenses on Food & Beverage and Accommodation accounted for 40% and 37% of the non-shopping spending. Furthermore, per-capita shopping spending surged by 22% to MOP 668; the expenses on Food & Candy and Clothing shared 26% and 18% of the per-capita shopping spending. Per-diem spending of visitors was MOP 1,415, up by 8% over the second quarter of 2005; Mainland visitors had the highest per-diem spending of MOP 2,341. In this quarter, the average length of stay of visitors (1.0 day) and same-day visitors (0.2 day) remained at the same level as the second quarter of 2005, while the average of tourists increased by 0.1 day to 1.6 days.
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The Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) was informed by the Royal Danish Consulate General in Hong Kong, that the holders of the Macao SAR Passport have been exempted from visa requirements when visiting Greenland and Faroe Islands for a stay up to three months during any six-month period. Presently, a total of 74 countries and territories have already agreed to grant visa-free access or visa-on-arrival to the Macao SAR passport holders, including 57 countries and 15 territories with mutual visa exemption, and 2 countries granting visa upon arrival.
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Coming September, Macau will be showcased to the Thai audiences through the most popular television travel program, “The Spirit of Adventure”, currently being produced in the city. The “star” of the program decided to take advantage of the increasing number of flights between Bangkok and Macau to show the city to Thai audiences. “In the program, I will take the spectators in a discovery of Macau, showing that there’s not only casinos in the city. It is a easy destination to visit, only a few hours flight and much cheaper then others”, says Jongkolnee Satiraassavanant. The half-hour program aired every Sunday at the Thai television Channel-5 has an audience of around one million people. The program has also the peculiarity of trying to show new destinations and help to create new travel tendencies in Thailand. “We try to show a great variety of destinations”, points the TV-anchor, who has been travel the five continents and which South Africa its her next destination. Also in Macau, during this week, was another group from Thailand, this time leaded by a photographer with the mission to capture images of the city for an exhibition in Bangkok, aiming to show the cultural face of Macau to the Thai people. “I love to travel and when I do that I always try to stay in the old areas of the places I visit, and in Macau there’s a lot of old sites, with the advantage that here everything is close by”, tells the photographer Nat Prakobsantisuk Four daily flights leave Bangkok to Macau, operated by Air Macau and Air Asia, which have contributed for the current double digit growth of the number of Thai tourists visiting Macau. The visit of the two Thai groups have the support of Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO), that has an representative office in Bangkok. Every year, MGTO supports familiarization visits from opinion makers, as a way to promote Macau to the world. Close to five thousand people were invited to fam tours in Macau last year.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that visitor arrivals in package tours totalled 207,989 in June 2006, down 3.2% year-on-year. Visitors from Mainland China (162,975) and Taiwan, China (15,371) dropped 2.7% and 32.9% respectively; however, those from Hong Kong (7,560) grew 20.0% over June 2005. In the first half of 2006, visitor arrivals in package tours increased 17.6% over the same period of 2005 to 1,454,698. Number of Macao residents travelling in package tours was 21,712 in June 2006, a year-on-year decrease of 23.0%. Mainland China, Thailand and Japan were the three more popular tour itineraries, which accounted for 68.6%, 8.2% and 5.2% of the total respectively. In the first six months of 2006, Macao residents travelling in package tours (130,587) grew 3.3% compared with the same period of 2005. Meanwhile, 27,872 residents travelled under own arrangements using services provided by the travel agencies, an increase of 2.4% over June 2005; Mainland China (32.9%), Hong Kong (25.7%) and Taiwan, China (20.0%) were the major destinations. In the first half of 2006, Macao residents travelled under such arrangements surged 23.7% to 171,282 compared with the corresponding period of 2005. At the end of June 2006, number of guest rooms available in the hotel industry registered an increase of 1,177 rooms (+11.1%) over June 2005 to 11,748 rooms. In addition, a total of 346,970 guests checked into hotels and similar establishments, up by 3.5% compared with June 2005. The average hotel occupancy rate was 68.0%, representing a slight increase of 0.4 percentage point; the highest average was in the 4-star hotels, at 75.8%. The hotel guests stayed an average of 1.16 nights, which rose by 0.02 night compared with June 2005. The majority of the guests came from Mainland China (56.7%), Hong Kong (24.6%) and Taiwan, China (3.2%). In the first half of 2006, number of hotel guests increased 13.3% over 2005 to 2,159,068. In the first six months of 2006, hotel guests (excluding Macao residents) accounted for 40.8% of the total number of tourists, which was lower than the 42.4% recorded in the same period of 2005.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicates that in the first half of 2006, a total of 6,427 contracts of sales and purchases of real estate were made, with value of MOP4.83 billion. The number and value were down 47.0% and 52.5% respectively over the same period of 2005. In the second quarter of 2006, a total of 3,423 contracts of sales and purchases of real estate were made, of which 4,059 real estate units were transacted, amounting to MOP2.6 billion. The number and value went down 54.9% and 53.7% respectively over the second quarter of 2005. In comparison with the first quarter of 2006, the number and value increased 10.6% and 16.1% respectively. In the first half of 2006, the total value of mortgage credits reached MOP42.92 billion, up 3.9 times year on year. In the second quarter of 2006, the total value of mortgage credits was MOP40.26 billion, of which the mortgage credits not involving actual property transactions reached MOP39.08 billion, mainly due to the increase in the mortgage credits of the gaming sector. The mortgage credits related to purchases of real estate reached MOP1.18 billion, equivalent to 2.9% of the total. The total amount increased 7.4 times over the second quarter of 2005; credits involving actual property transactions registered a decrease of 44.1%. In comparison with the first quarter of 2006, the above indicators were up 14.2 times and 32.3% respectively. According to the information supplied by the Finance Services Bureau, the real estate market in the first half of 2006, a total of 10,397 units were transacted, with value of MOP 8.06 billion. In the second quarter of 2006, 5,594 units with a total value of MOP 4.69 billion were transacted. The majority was residential units (68.6% of the total; 3,835 units) with value of MOP 2.98 billion. Among all the units transacted, 1,065 units were exempted from property tax (i.e. they were new buildings) with their value amounting to MOP 2.07 billion. In the second quarter of 2006, the average transaction price of residential units per square meter of usable area in Macao and the Macao Peninsula were MOP10,008 and MOP8,760, down slightly by 0.6% and 0.7% over the second quarter of 2005, but up 2.7% and 6.3% over the first quarter of 2006 respectively. Moreover, the average transaction price of residential units in Taipa was MOP14,122/m2, up 5.1% over the second quarter of 2005 and down 4.4% over the first quarter of 2006. In the second quarter of 2006, the average transaction price of industrial units per square meter of usable area continued to rise, at MOP3,834, up 17.6% and 2.8% over the second quarter of 2005 and first quarter of 2006 respectively. In the second quarter of 2006, the average transaction price of office units per square meter of usable area was MOP17,653, up 24.8% and 2.2% over the second quarter of 2005 and first quarter of 2006 respectively. Among the office units, the area of NAPE e Aterros da Baía da Praia Grande recorded the highest average, at MOP19,611/m2, whereas the area of Zape had the lowest average, at MOP13,783.
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The Secretary for Security, Mr Cheong Kuok Va, said today Macao’s public order remained stable, with theft and robbery showing a drop from 401 cases to 261 in the first six months of this year compared with the same period last year. Disclosing crime figures for the first six months of the year, Mr Cheong said there were a total of 5,342 cases reported, an increase of 4% (+203 cases): this were mostly social-life-related offences, such as forgery of documents, which rose to 47.1%. The security chief said of the seven homicide cases reported in the same period, five were solved. The number of wounding and serious assault showed a rise of 9.7% (+74 cases). There were 419 "unclassified" crimes recorded in the reporting period, a decline of 1.2% (-5 cases), of which the employment of illegal immigration recorded 301 cases, an increase of 29.2% (+68 cases). Drug trafficking had increased 28.6% (+8 cases), but addiction to narcotics dropped to 58.8% (-48 cases) Juvenile crimes had recorded 75 cases, a drop of 8.5% (-7 cases), of which 125 people were juniors, a drop of 24.2% (-40 people). The Secretary stressed that the authority would continue to collect updated information and to strengthen their enforcement to combat crimes.
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Following the success of the Macao Heritage Net in 2004 and the Macao World Heritage Information Kit launched last year, Cultural Affairs Bureau takes great pleasure in introducing ‘Exploring the Historic Centre of Macao’ PDA route guide through network technology. The system presents comprehensive introduction and information on the sites situated in the Historic Centre of Macao in digital format with visuals and text descriptions that can be downloaded by PDA for the convenient use of residents and tourists. Since the Historic Centre of Macao was listed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List last year, the Cultural Affairs Bureau has enthusiastically undertaken the protection of these World Heritage sites and promoted them accordingly. The promotion leaflet of the Historic Centre of Macao and the Macao World Heritage Information Kit are popular with both local citizens and tourists, to the extent that it has become an important tool in raising tourists and residents’ awareness of the Historic Centre of Macao. The compact, portable PDA has become an instant technology hit. For facilitating enquiries about the Historic Centre of Macao, the Cultural Affairs Bureau has harnessed modern technology in the specially designed PDA route guide system. People who have access to PDA will have one more channel to get the background information and location of each site in the Historical Centre of Macao. The system is very convenient to use and is like a portable tourist book. ‘Exploring the Historic Centre of Macao’ PDA route guide system is available in traditional Chinese, simplified Chinese, Portuguese and English formats. The content comprises user interface directions, description on the universal value of the Historic Centre. of Macao, route guide, maps, albums, introduction and opening hours of each site, and relevant activities. The interfaces of the system are vivid, and its clear instructions make it simple to use. It is also equipped with a virtual mode for exploring the Historic Centre of Macao, which enables users to have a clear picture about the location of the sites. In addition, each site has an individual interface. Surrounding streets and areas are mapped out and the map can be magnified and reduced according to user’s needs for easy reference. Cultural Affairs Bureau encourages PDA users to make full use of the system to plan their most enjoyable and convenient route to explore the Historic Centre of Macao. At less than 5MB, the system can easily be downloaded and used via PDA. Download the ‘Exploring the Historic Centre of Macao’ PDA route guide for free either at www.macauheritage.net or at www.icm.gov.mo. Users are advised to register their e-mail addresses when downloading so that they can be informed of the latest information through their mailbox. Beside, there is a link for downloading the system on the website of Macao Government Tourist Office. Effective immediately, Cultural Affairs Bureau will continuously collect ideas and feedback to enrich the functions of the system
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service shows that in the second quarter of 2006, a total of 771 companies were newly incorporated, with MOP98.40 million in registered capital. Compared with the same quarter of 2005, the number of newly incorporated companies and their registered capital decreased 8.0% and 56.7% respectively. These newly incorporated companies engaged mostly in Wholesale and Retail (250), followed by Business Services (147), Construction (134) and Real Estate (94). On the other hand, 54 companies were dissolved in the second quarter of 2006, with MOP18.66 million in registered capital. Among them, most had engaged in Wholesale and Retail (13), followed by Real Estate (12). Among the stockholders of the newly incorporated companies, 58.9% were Macao residents. In addition, the newly incorporated companies with capital of MOP50 thousand or less accounted for 67.1% (517 companies) of the total number, whereas their capital only made up 14.8% of the total. Meanwhile, 677 of the newly incorporated companies were limited companies. Based on the residence of the stockholders, the capital of the newly incorporated companies in the second quarter of 2006 mostly came from Macao (MOP39.19 million), followed by Mainland China (MOP34.75 million) and Hong Kong (MOP13.54 million). Guangdong Province (MOP5.29 million) topped the list of the capital coming from the Pan-Pearl River Delta provinces. According to the combination of the residence of stockholders, 629 of the newly incorporated companies were established by stockholders from a single country/region, the majority of which (386 companies) were established solely by Macao stockholders, followed by those from Hong Kong (147 companies). The number of the newly incorporated companies with stockholders from Macao and other countries/regions was 116, of which 46 were joint ventures of Macao and Mainland China stockholders and 45 were of Macao and Hong Kong stockholders. The newly incorporated companies with stockholders solely from countries/regions other than Macao totalled 26, of which 8 were joint ventures of Hong Kong and the British Virgin Islands and 5 were of Hong Kong and Mainland China.
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