Briefs | Local employment situation holds stable

The unemployment rate for local residents has remained steady with a slight decrease over the past three months, a survey from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) found. According to the results, the unemployment rate has been registered at 2.4% from August to October 2019, down 0.1% when compared with the period from July to September this year. Meanwhile, the general unemployment rate for the same period has also held steady at 1.8% and the underemployment rate (related to work done not in fulltime employment) grew to 0.5%, a marginal increase of 0.1%. The survey from DSEC also updated the total labor force, now at 394,300 people with a participation rate of 70.1%. Total employment registered 387,300 people, an increase of 200 from the previous period. Analyzed by industry, employment in hotels, restaurants and similar activities decreased in an opposing trend to that seen in gaming-related activities.

DSEJ promotes Macau-mainland school alliance

The city’s Education and Youth Affairs Bureau (DSEJ) is promoting alliances between Macau schools and schools on the mainland. As of November, 53 local schools have made alliances with 258 schools in China, of which 114 are schools in Guangdong province. In addition, local schools have paired with 10 schools in Hong Kong. Currently, the alliances are mostly related to the secondary education level. In the future, DSEJ hopes to extend the alliances to kindergarten, primary schools, special education schools, and vocational schools. The alliances are hoped to enhance communications between Macau and mainland schools, and to encourage Macau local students to take internships in Guangdong province.

UM signs agreement with China Space Agency

The University of Macau (UM) State Key Lab of Internet of Things for Smart City recently signed a collaboration agreement with the Center for Space Remote Sensing Demonstration, part of China’s National Space Administration (CNSA). The agreement includes combined efforts from both parties for the commercialization of scientific research results in the field of ground application systems in satellite remote sensing big data. The agreement was inked by Xu Chengzhong, dean of UM’s Faculty of Science and Technology, and Gu Xingfa, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and director of the Center for Space Remote Sensing Demonstration, representing the parties involved.