FAOM lawmakers flag youth and middle-aged job struggles, seek stronger training and hiring of locals

The Macau Federation of Trade Unions’ (FAOM) legislative team handled nearly 4,500 complaints during the past legislative session, according to the group of lawmakers’ review of its legislative work yesterday.

According to the lawmakers, comprising Lam Lon Wai, Leong Sun Iok, Leong Pou U and Ella Lei, most cases concerned labor affairs, welfare protection and occupational safety, with youth and mid-age employment difficulties among the main concerns.

In response to reporters’ questions, Lei said that beyond young people facing a lack of experience and the need to strengthen their competitiveness, some middle-aged workers—though not yet of retirement age—also face difficulties reentering the job market after changing careers or following a company closure.

“They face challenges adapting to industry transformation and age-related barriers,” Lei said, adding that the team has pushed youth employment on both the policy and practical fronts, including urging the government to implement measures such as specialized job-matching fairs tailored to young people’s experience, and training programs on CV writing and interview skills.

She also said the FAOM team promotes related projects through trade unions and runs internship programs, hoping to provide young people with dedicated support to make their job search smoother.

Regarding older workers, Lei noted that they are highly experienced but face new adaptation challenges amid industry transformation.

Highlighting the current challenges related to the impact of artificial intelligence, she said, “On the one hand, AI can optimize work outcomes; on the other hand, workers need to learn and upgrade their skills.”

She warned that AI development will bring significant adjustments to job supply and demand across the commercial market, “with some positions gradually shrinking or even disappearing and new ones emerging.”

The lawmaker added that the team will continue to promote vocational training, specialized practical assessments, employment assistance, certification, and career advancement.

She noted that the government’s Third Five-Year Plan has set a new target, raising the localization rate for mid- and senior-level management at the six gaming concessionaires from 85% to over 90% — which she said is positive progress.

“But the key lies in actually pushing local employees to raise their competitiveness so that locals can move upward into better positions,” she remarked.

Another lawmaker from the group noted that because young people often discover how hard it is to find work only after leaving school, the team has shifted its intervention point to secondary school career planning, establishing a dedicated working group to run series-based sessions in schools that explain to students which jobs society needs and how industries are developing.

Leong Sun Iok said the team also pays attention to Macau students studying elsewhere, whose needs change from their first to fourth year of university. The Guangdong office will visit cities with larger concentrations of Macau students — for example, meeting Macau University students in Guangzhou at the end of October — and hopes to extend this to Fujian, Wuhan, and other cities so that students can receive information about Macau and comprehensive support from course selection through employment.

The lawmaker noted that as society and habits change, the employment structure is shifting from non-technical to technical and technology-oriented, leaving many young people struggling to adapt. In recent years, the team has worked with the Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) and the Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) to provide employment counseling to young people before they enter the job market.

Remarking that the government’s order-based training should be tailored to different levels, industries, and age groups “to optimize further and promote the goal of high-quality full employment.”

Leong Pou U said that beyond localizing management in state-owned enterprises, other large enterprises should also take responsibility for training and hiring locals. He said the government has responded with practical measures in banking, finance, and construction — such as setting up dedicated employment task forces and requiring enterprises to prioritize hiring locals in proportion. Citing feedback, he said employment rates among young people and construction workers have improved under this policy, and argued that greater efforts should be made to encourage other large enterprises, including public utilities, to hire locals.

Responding to reporters’ concerns about middle-aged workers and the impact of information technology on employment, Leong said employees at state-owned enterprises have also reported difficulties adapting to smart technology, with some job types potentially disappearing. “Technological development should assist people rather than replace them,” he stressed, adding that AI should be used to improve working conditions. For the elderly and vulnerable groups, he hoped the government would make good use of extended and outsourced work, hire such groups into positions, and provide better job opportunities through order-based training.