Briefs | UM co-launches radio show in Portugal, Brazil

The University of Macau is launching a weekly radio program called “Chinese Ideas,” which will air in Portugal and Brazil today following its launch yesterday. The weekly program is hosted by sinologist Giorgio Sinedino and will consist of three seasons, according to a press release issued by the university. The first season will focus on Confucius and The Analects, the second will center on Laozi and his Dao De Jing and the third will revolve around Mencius, who is also known as Meng Zi. The program aims to provide a systematic overview of the different thinkers and schools of thought in ancient China from a comparative perspective, in order to help non-Chinese audiences understand the ancient Chinese mindset and worldview. The radio show will be conducted by the university’s Portuguese Department and the Chinese-Portuguese Bilingual Teaching and Training Centre, with the Department of Portuguese Language of the China Radio International.

Unemployment rate remains stable

The general unemployment rate (1.7%) and the unemployment rate of local residents (2.3%) for the September-November 2019 period have both decreased by 0.1 percentage point from the previous period (August-October 2019), while the underemployment rate has held steady at 0.5%. The city’s total labor force was 394,100 and the labor force participation rate was 69.9%. Total employment was 387,600, an increase of 300 from the previous period, while the number of employed residents totaled 280,300, down by 500. Analyzed by industry, employment in gaming and junket activities decreased, while it increased in the construction sector. The number of the unemployed was 6,500, down by 500 from the previous period. The proportion of new labor market entrants seeking their first job increased by 0.7 percentage points to 19.2% of the total unemployed.

Restaurants anticipated revenue decline in November

Asked in October 2019, Macau’s restaurants and similar establishments expected their business would weaken in the following month, with 46% of the 186 interviewed establishments anticipating their receipts would decline year-on-year. That marks an increase of 5 percentage points from October, according to the survey results announced by the Statistics and Census Service. Meanwhile, 29% of the interviewed retailers forecasted their sales would increase in November. As for their October performance, 32% of the interviewed restaurants and similar establishments recorded a year-on-year rise in receipts, a decrease of 6 percentage points from September. Some 44% of the interviewed establishments reported a year-on-year decline in receipts in October.