Gov’t may cut migrant workers’ visas due to economic crisis

A worker pushes a cart in front of the construction site of the Lisboa Palace

The Human Resources Office (GRH), which approves and oversees the city’s importation of labor, has said that it may be more cautious when handling work permit renewals for migrant casino workers from now on.
The Assistant Coordinator of the Office, Chan Un Tong, said on a TDM radio show yesterday that the current law in Macau allows the government to dismiss migrant workers in certain sectors when the economy takes a dramatic downturn.
Chan indicated that a precedent was set during the financial crisis in 2008 when some industries’ migrant workers were either denied a renewal of their work permit or had their renewal period halved. He said that his department, along with the Labor Affairs Bureau (DSAL), will pay close attention to the dynamics of the labor market so that when the economic situation shifts, the authorities can demand a reduction in the number of migrant workers.
The official also stressed that companies need to seek approval from the GRH when promoting a migrant worker, and that their applications will not necessarily be approved.
He explained that the Office’s vetting process would first assess whether the company has a suitable candidate among its local employees, or whether it needs to hire someone from the local workforce.
In response to listeners’ criticism that “local residents’ employment and promotion prospects are being jeopardized due to the government’s excessive import of migrant workers,” Chan repeatedly stressed that “importing migrant workers is merely a supplement to the local workforce. A precondition of doing so is firstly ensuring local employees’ sustainable job security.”
“Some corporates have advertised in newspapers how many workers they expect [to recruit], but of course that number doesn’t equal the number the government needs to approve. I can say that the amount of our approvals will be less, even much less, than that they advertised,” he assured.
The official further clarified that the authorities do not follow any fixed ratio or quota when dealing with applications from migrant workers, but rather consider the employer’s actual situation, such as their operational model, and the sale and location of their premises.
“Many citizens have this misunderstanding that the GRH will approve one quota [for migrant workers] for every three local employees hired. In fact, we don’t have such a precondition or ratio stipulated in the law,” he said.
Chan stressed that his department would take all reports from DSAL of breaches of employment law seriously, while the DSAL director Wong Chi Hong, who was also a guest on the radio show, said that the bureau would inspect if it receives evidence that a company only intends to recruit non-local workers or in other “unacceptable situations.” BY