Committee eyes Macau’s neighbors to encourage talent return

A committee that focuses on encouraging talents to return to Macau proposed in its recently held meeting that future policies for the return of qualified staff to the SAR should be drawn up in a diverse manner.

According to a statement issued by the Talents Development Committee, the policies should have an appropriate reference to the SAR’s neighboring regions in a bid to increase the quality of the attracted talent.

The statement noted remarks by some of the committee members that a viable proposal needs to be devised to increase the proportion of local teachers in higher education institutions, and to strengthen the various means of contact with qualified staff who are abroad.

It proposed to have a delegation visit areas where Macau residents are located abroad, in order to create a more direct and close exchange with them.

During the meeting, the committee’s developments from 2014 to 2019 were discussed, highlighting that the committee has taken the initiative of contacting qualified Macau residents abroad in a variety of ways.

According to the statement, some of the qualified staff that participated in these activities decided to return to Macau to pursue their professional career, while others continued to maintain close ties with the committee.

The Talents Development Committee aims to better implement a long-term mechanism of talent training.

Established in 2014, the committee focuses on the forecast of talent needs, talents training and encouragement and the use of talent resources.

Macau currently has a population of almost 670,000, of which about 182,000 are non-residents.

According to the committee’s data, it is estimated that over 100,000 Macau residents reside outside of the MSAR.

The committee is focused on developing the conditions to allow local society to obtain the human resources required for a better local talent structure.

Back in May, the Talent Development Committee forecast that the gaming industry will need some 7,525 additional gaming employees, primarily of high-ranking position and mid- level managers, by 2020.

Data from the Statistics and Census Bureau showed the employment situation in Macau is favorable as the general unemployment rate was 1.8% in May to July 2019.
The total labor force in those three months was 394,100 and the labor force participation rate was 70.3%.

The employment in Gaming & Junket Activities decreased, hinting at a need for more workers in the sector, which presents a challenge for the SAR. LV