Blue card workers peak since pandemic

Macau’s non-resident worker population, commonly referred to as “blue card holders,” has reached a new high of 182,307 as of the end of July 2024. This figure represents the largest number of non-resident workers in Macau since August 2020.

The influx of imported labor has continued to rise since the start of the year, with over 5,600 additional non-resident workers being hired across various sectors.

The hospitality and catering industries have seen the highest demand for workers, adding 1,431 foreign staff. Casinos and cultural/recreational activities gained an extra 808 workers, while the number of domestic helpers increased by 769.

Mainland China remains the primary source of migrant workers, accounting for 67.6% of the total non-resident population. Filipinos continue to be the largest non-Chinese group, with 30,045 workers, followed by Vietnamese at 7,997.

This rebound comes after the pandemic severely impacted Macau’s foreign labor force.

Numbers fell by 45,000 from a peak of 196,538 in late 2019, equating to an 11.3% drop from the active workforce. By January 2023, foreign workers from China and elsewhere had dipped below 152,000 – the lowest since April 2014.

The resulting economic crisis pushed Macau’s unemployment rate up to a high of 4% in the third quarter of 2022, the highest level since 2006.

However, despite the recent surge in non-resident workers, the unemployment rate has fallen back to 1.7% in the second quarter of 2024, matching the pre-pandemic historic low.

Macau’s economy has shown a strong recovery, growing 15.7% in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period last year. This growth has been fueled by the resurgence of the gaming industry, with the city’s gross domestic product (GDP) reaching 86.2% of the value recorded in the first half of 2019. Victoria Chan