Briefs | Unemployment rate holds steady

The general unemployment rate held steady at 1.8% during the three-month period of June-August 2019, compared with previous period between May and July, according to the latest data from the Statistics and Census Service. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate for local residents also stood unchanged at 2.4%. At the same time, the total labor force in Macau was 394,400, with a labor force participation rate of 70.3%. Total employment was 387,300, up by 200 from the previous period, but the number of employed residents fell by 100 to a total of 281,600. With fresh graduates entering the labor market, the proportion of new labor market entrants seeking their first job increased by 4.1 percentage points to 19.3% of the total number of unemployed. In comparison with the same period last year, the unemployment rate held steady, while the labor force participation rate dropped by 0.7 percentage points.

UM holds Second Macau Stem Cell Symposium

The University of Macau (UM) held the Second Macau Stem Cell Symposium on Friday, attracting more than 100 experts and scholars from around the world, according to a statement published on the government news portal. The symposium was organized by the UM’s Faculty of Health Sciences, with assistance from the Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, the State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicines and the Macau University of Science and Technology. The event included 11 talks on topics such as embryonic development and tissue production, translational medicine and the mechanistic study of stem cell development. During the event, participants held in-depth discussions on the latest developments in stem cell research. According to Professor Wei Ge, vice rector of UM, stem cell research holds tremendous promise for medical treatment and is considered a key research area at UM. With Chinese and overseas experts participating, organizers say the symposium will provide a boost to stem cell research in Macau.

Macau, mainland mutually recognize university degrees

Last week, the local government signed a memorandum with the Ministry of Education of China to mutually recognize higher educational degrees. According to the memorandum, mainland Chinese higher vocational, undergraduate, postgraduate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees will be recognized by Macau. In turn, Macau associate degrees, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees will also be recognized in mainland China. The memorandum also included words of encouragement and support for higher education institutions in both regions to cooperate on course credit recognition, hoping to promote student exchanges. Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Alexis Tam says the memorandum demonstrates a new phase of cooperation between Macau and the mainland regarding higher education.