A man lies on a wall in Macau
Until October this year, 2,260 Macau residents received the unemployment benefit from the Social Security Fund (FSS) totalling around MOP8.5 million. This is despite the fact that the unemployment rate in the last quarter remained at 1.7 percent, a historically low level that is considered statistically as full employment in many countries.
In an e-mail reply to the Times, FSS revealed that there were 3,044 people who received the unemployment allowance – equating to around MOP8.9 million – in 2013. They said that the figure this year is similar to that of last year.
Since January 2014, the FSS unemployment allowance has been upwardly adjusted to MOP127 per day. According to the regulation, unemployed residents who had contributed to FSS for a certain amount of time could receive the unemployment allowance for a maximum of 90 days in a period of 12 months.
FSS said that the principle behind the unemployment benefit is to protect the basic livelihood of those who were involuntarily unemployed (e.g. being laid off) during the transition period when they were seeking new employment.
Beneficiaries are required to register with the Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) for job matching. If they fail to find a new job within the 90-day period, and are again facing living or financial difficulties, FSS said that they should seek help from the Social Welfare Bureau.
FSS also pointed out that the MSAR government has established the Employment Assistance and Training Regulations Scheme, which requires FSS to allocate resources to help assisting and training unemployed residents, first time young job-seekers and disabled unemployed people, as well as to help creating new job positions.
The fund suggested that, given that the Employment Assistance and Training Regulations Scheme has been in place for years and the fact that the economic environment and job market in Macau has witnessed some dramatic changes since the regulations came into force in 2004, FSS and DSAL are working on the review and improvement of the Regulations.
Dr Chan Kin Sun, an assistant professor at the University of Macau (UM) whose areas of expertise include social security, told the Times that while some unemployed people might belong to the frictional unemployment category, which means that they were temporarily unemployed when searching for jobs that suit them, others can be categorized as structurally unemployed, a term which refers to those who do not possess the suitable qualifications to secure a job they are satisfied with.
“These jobless people who are structurally unemployed are more visible during the transitional period of the economy. It is especially so given that Macau is moving towards a knowledge-based economy. This means that the employers will require job seekers to have an academic qualification”, he said.
The scholar pointed out that there are jobs in Macau that do not require a high skill level while offering a decent wage. Therefore, he thinks that it is not the social security system that needs to be reviewed in order to solve structural unemployment. Rather, more emphasis should be placed on support services.
“When it comes to structural unemployment, we will look at it from two perspectives. It may be that an individual’s skills cannot adapt to the needs of society; or it may be that [the unemployed themselves] cannot adapt to society”, he said.
The scholar suggested some long-term unemployed people may feel alienated when trying to reintegrate into society. They may need some services that will encourage them to readapt to the current labour market in Macau and make it easier for them to find a more suitable job. He also suggested that events and activities, such as social and voluntary initiatives can be joined to allow them to gradually reintegrate into society through interaction with others.
As for the the issue of employment among the disabled, Dr Chan has praised some of the Macau government’s policies and schemes that encourage employers to hire disabled people, such as issuing commendations. The support by the government to develop social enterprises, the scholar believes, is also helping the employment of disabled people in Macau.
Gaming accounts for over 20 pct of employed population
The Recreational, Cultural & Gaming sectors have accounted for 23.5 percent of the city’s employed population in September, according to data released by the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC).
Gaming remains as one of the sectors employing a higher number of people, followed by the construction sector. Construction accounted for 14.3 percent of the employed population, while hotels, restaurants and other similar sectors accounted for 14.2 percent.
The total labor force increased to 398,700 and the labor force participation rate reached 74 percent. Total employment was 392,100, an increase of 3,400 from June-August.
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