8,700 non-resident workers leave city since January

The total population as at end-June 2022 decreased by 4,400 quarter-to-quarter to 677,300, mainly as a result of a drop in the number of non-resident workers living in Macau.

The number of blue-card holders have been decreasing for over nearly three years, due to the economic turn down caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, leading to lay-offs from companies. 

Data from the Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) shows that there were a total of 162,391 non-resident workers living in the city as of June.

However, when compared to the same period last year, the figure corresponds to a reduction of 9,870 people. 

From January to June this year, 8,707 non-resident workers have made an exit from the SAR, a significant exodus recorded in just over six months.

Data from DSAL shows pre-pandemic, the number of migrant workers totaled 196,538 as at the end of 2019. However, that figure plunged to 171,098 as at the end of 2021, recording a 12% decrease.

About 81% of the registered blue-card holders are under non-specialized categories. A large percentage are employed by the hotel and F&B sector (39,000), followed by the construction industry (29,000) and 24,000 domestic workers, 

Workers from the mainland comprised about 111,000: some 26,000 are from the Philippines, followed by around 8,000 workers from Vietnam.

Also, as previously reported by the Times, a number of domestic workers have opted to go back home for good, with many deciding that not seeing their families for over two years is a big price to pay for a minimum wage.

Meanwhile, data from the Statistics and Census Service shows that in the second quarter of 2022, new arrivals from mainland China with one-way permits (493) and individuals newly granted right of abode (126) decreased by 127 and 89 respectively quarter-to-quarter.