Construction workers’ wages slightly up

The average daily wage of construction workers increased by 2.9 percent quarter-to-quarter to MOP793 in the final quarter of 2015, the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) revealed. The average daily wage of local construction workers (MOP1,000) rose by 2 percent quarter-to-quarter, while that of non-resident construction workers (MOP668) went up 1.1 percent. In terms of construction materials, the price index of construction materials for residential buildings (131.7) in the fourth quarter of 2015 dropped slightly by 0.4 percent quarter-to-quarter; increasing 2.1 percent year-on-year.

Traditional flower arrangements on display

In celebration of the upcoming Lunar New Year, an exhibition titled “The Charms of Flowers – Exhibition of Traditional Chinese Flower Arrangements” is being held at the Jao Tsung-I Academy from yesterday. Featuring assorted seasonal blossoms, exquisitely arranged in six types of traditional Chinese containers, the exhibition will be open to the public until July 31. Admission is free.

Uruguay grants visa-free stays to MSAR passport holders

Holders of MSAR passports and Travel Permits can now enter Uruguay as tourists for a visa-free stay of up to 90 days. The measure came into force this week after the Honorary Consul of Uruguay in Hong Kong, Anabella Levin-Freris, visited the local Identification Services Bureau on January 25. At present, 119 countries or territories have granted visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to MSAR Passport holders, while 11 countries have agreed to grant MSAR Travel Permit holders visa-free access to their region.