7,000 fewer foreign workers this May than in December

Macau had 7,264 fewer non-resident workers (TNRs) at the end of May than at the end of last year, when there were some 189,000 working in the territory, Wong Chi Hung, director of the Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL), said in a reply to an inquiry by lawmaker Lei Chan U.
The fall is strongest in the hotel and catering industry, which saw 2,667 fewer workers. The construction industry has the second highest fall, with 2,432 fewer people than at the end of 2019.
The lawmaker also asked whether the bureau will implement a stricter TNR “exit strategy” if the employment market continues to deteriorate and Macau residents continue losing their jobs.
In response, the bureau director noted that in the process of reviewing TNR applications, the bureau conducts “dynamic assessment” on the needs of such workers.
The bureau will also determine industries or positions that have greater appeal to local jobseekers and will improve the chance of them getting a job, complementing the TNR Exit Strategy.
When companies need to dismiss employees, the law states that non-local workers should be the first to go. Wong assured that the government will continue monitoring the condition of companies abiding by TNR-related laws. AL