Our Desk | A little bit of this and that

Lynzy Valles

There is always a lack of something here. The region is a victim of scarcity; whether it’s in activities over the weekend, entertainment, public parking, lack of regulation over ridesharing and most of all, lack of professionals in several industries.

A lack of experts in the fields of IT, medical and inclusive education is one of the obvious problems that the region is facing – but to be fair, several countries around the globe are also facing a crisis in terms of the lack of qualified professionals. 

In Macau, it seemed like we already had a complete package of offerings to residents and guests, such as the Cotai Strip and Macau’s Unesco heritage sites. However, it feels like it does not provide enough satisfaction to residents. 

Speaking of ridesharing, thousands still support the ride-hailing app Uber despite it being illegal in the region.

Surprisingly, even though there are over 100 jurisdictions globally that have implemented ridesharing regulations, it feels like Macau does not understand this trend, citing security issues.

Anyway, as mentioned, maybe the region could have lacked infrastructure over how it resolves the shortage of qualified experts in many industries in the region.

There has always been a mounting gap between the skills that are supplied and those that are required by the labor market.

It cannot be about “protecting local workers’ employment” all the time as it is palpable that Macau is in dire need of imported professional labor.

It does not feel right that while several industries continue to thrive, some industries are subtly failing.

The medical industry is an example: it is no secret that local hospitals are sending patients to Hong Kong due to the lack of infrastructure and specialists in the territory.

Although it is just an hour’s ferry ride away, these residents could have opted to acquire medical services in one of the region’s three hospitals.

A report by a Hong Kong media outlet revealed that in 2014, the Macau public hospital sent 2,000 public patients to Hong Kong for treatment, adding that such trips cost the region some HKD200 million a year overall.

Although Hong Kong’s Hospital Authority does not keep record of the number of Macau residents being treated at its facilities, they are classified as non-local patients, paying HKD4,680 per day for a hospital stay instead of the HKD100 a day paid by its residents.

It could be quite discouraging that residents distrust their own hospitals and specialists, but that is because it fails to cater to a wide spectrum of their healthcare needs.

These issues are not something new and yet it is still uncertain on how authorities are tackling this problematic matter.

The local government, however, should be commended on how it provides a lifelong learning program, issuing subsidies to local residents who wish to enhance their learning. But can several industries, in this case the medical field, benefit from these kinds of schemes?

The same goes with the conditions faced by the IT and special education industry: particularly IT micro companies that are supplying a large demand of services to enormous integrated resorts.

When the number of trained professionals remains low, it is likely to put businesses in vulnerable positions: providing a mediocre service.

There may still be a long way to go to continually encourage residents to take part in educational and training programs.

With the region’s aim to become a tourism hub, it should be ready to provide a high level of service and offerings, not only to its overflowing visitors but to its residents.