Briefs | Labour Affairs Bureau receives 7,500 job requests

The Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) has registered 7,500 job applicants this year. Of these, 3,000 applicants have been dismissed for six months, meaning they were likely affected by Covid-19, vice director of the bureau Chan Un Tong revealed. Jobseekers can register their intent to find employment through the Labour Affairs Bureau in order to use its job matching services. People looking for jobs are mainly from the construction, retail and catering industries. Fewer registrants were recorded in May and June than in March and April. As of end-June, about 460 people have finished the job matching process after completing the bureau’s subsidized training. Meanwhile, a job fair held by the Macao Federation of Trade Unions attracted the participation of 24 companies and thousands of jobseekers.

Social welfare authority: domestic violence decreasing

In the first quarter of 2020, the Social Welfare Bureau received 649 reports relating to household conflicts, equating to a year-over-year rise of 12%. Excluding repeated reports, there have been 445 unique cases or 3% increase from the first quarter of last year. Tang Yuk Wa, vice director of the bureau, said that 320 of the reports were categorized as household conflicts, while six were categorized as domestic violence. Of the 320, two-thirds concerned violence between spouses and 6% between other family members. Additionally, 25% of domestic violence incidents involved children and 2.4% involved elderly people. Tang sees a decreasing trend, though the number of reports is on the rise. He also thinks that some of the cases may have been caused by the pandemic. Professionals should be approached when domestic problems arise, Tang reminds.

Lawmaker urges upcoming bus contracts be disclosed

As the current bus service contracts expire at the end of this year and the government has not disclosed any details about the new contracts so far, lawmaker Agnes Lam has called for more information as “public bus services are part and parcel to the general land transport of Macau.” She pointed out that bus services and gambling concessions are different as the former is non-competitive. Hence, Lam finds it unacceptable that the details of the contract are being kept from the public. The lawmaker added that the new contract should outline “a corresponding and scientific financial support and pricing scheme.” Currently, bus fares can be increased in a matter of months whenever the government deems necessary. She also recommended systems that allow bus cards to be tapped when boarding and alighting to improve the efficiency of bus services.