Secretary for Economy and Finance, Lionel Leong Vai Tac expects that the uncertainties in the global economy may affect the city’s economy next year, he said while attending a plenary session of the Legislative Assembly for his secretariat’s 2017 Policy Address.
For next year, the Secretary forecasts that the city’s GDP will only post a very modest growth based on the assessment conducted by the Statistics and Census Services (DSEC) and the Monetary Authority of Macau (AMCM), while he hopes the city’s unemployment rate will remain below 2 per cent and the inflation rate will be lower than 3.2 per cent.
He noted that his prediction is made while also considering that the uncertainty in the global economy may have an impact on the city’s economy.
“This includes the possibility of Italy leaving the European Union through a future referendum, which may lead the global economy [to fluctuate] in the future,” said the Secretary.
“We need to grasp the resilience of the city’s economic adjustment from the past two years in order to face economic challenges with confidence,” he added.
Construction lacks youth
On the other hand, the Secretary said that there is still strong demand for highly skilled workers in the construction industry, claiming that the government will work closely with the industry and the Macau Gaming Enterprises Staff Association of Macau Federation of Trade Unions, to study as well as to provide special training programs in order to attract young people to work in the construction industry.
“The government will enhance the promotion for young people to join the construction industry through providing training and provision of attractive remuneration salaries to them, which can help reduce the ongoing pressure on the lack of manpower in the industry,” the Secretary said.
He added that if the local labor workforce cannot supply enough workers to meet the industry’s needs, the city would import non-resident workers to fill the shortage of manpower accordingly.
Meanwhile, Director of Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL), Wong Chi Hong said that in accordance with the timetable for the legislation of a trade union law, the relevant research work will be initiated and discussed in the short term at the Standing Committee on Social Coordination Executive Committee.
Balance of local and non-resident workers
Legislator Kwan Tsui Hang queried the government’s current policies on protecting local employment over imported workers. She remarked that for every five workers in the city there are two non-resident workers, and some employers even sell their non-resident worker quotas for profit.
The Secretary responded that the MSAR does not allow any illicit use of non-resident worker quotas for the sake of making profits. “If an employer sells [the quotas of] his or her employees, we encourage the employees or other employers to report this wrongful behavior,” he said.
Legislator Kwan also complained to the government about the lack of protection for local employment development. “The government has proposed to have at least 85 per cent of the high-level management positions of local casinos for locals. However, many non-resident workers in the middle and high-level positions get their residencies through the technical personnel scheme, which makes locals difficult to be promoted,” said the legislator.
In response, the Secretary pointed out a number of statistics during the discussion, saying that there is clear evidence to show that local workers have received promotions and salary increases.
But the Secretary also emphasized that the government is still not satisficed with the current results and will continue to strive for better results for the development of local workers.
“The government has to reach a balance based on the different opinions from the industry and the labor sector. At the same time, the government insists on the need to ensure the local employment as a priority in accordance with the city’s labor policy, with an aim to strike a right balance in the city’s economic development,” the Secretary said.
He added that the government will adopt different mechanisms, including pre-intervention schemes to scientifically graph the situation of different industries to determine the number of non-resident workers in the city and their salaries.
