Gov’t building statistical system for emerging industries

Lionel Leong (center) administrates the swearing-in ceremony of the director of the Statistics and Census Bureau, Ieong Meng Chao (left)

The Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) acting director, Ieong Meng Chao, took office as the bureau’s director yesterday. He said that the bureau had started building a statistical index system for emerging industries earlier this year, covering MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions), traditional Chinese medicine, and cultural and creative industries.
Ieong stated that society’s demands for timely, suitable and accurate statistical information have increased so the bureau will actively develop new programs.
The Secretary for Economy and Finance, Lionel Leong, also acknowledged during the inauguration ceremony that the city is entering a new stage of economic diversification, and that this implies more advanced requirements for official statistics.
Leong said that the government has included the new statistical index system into its policy direction, as it will scientifically and systematically reflect the emerging industries’ development and their contribution to the economy.
Furthermore, Ieong     Meng
Chao revealed that the bureau has begun cooperating with the mainland authorities in obtaining data on Macau enterprises’ economic activities in the mainland. “These data will help systematically measure the development of regional cooperation, and help assess those policies’ effectiveness,” he explained.
Ieong said that the DSEC would optimize the use of administrative data for statistics based on department collaboration, so as to enhance efficiency. Meanwhile, the bureau intends to reduce the number of questionnaires to be answered by residents.
Having served at DSEC for three decades, Ieong pledged that the bureau would provide true and accurate statistics for scientific decision-making. He
went on to stress the importance of training pesonnel and cultivating fresh specialists to whom incumbents can eventually pass the relay baton, indicating that “the bureau is entering a peak period for retirement after three decades’ implementation.” BY