Lawmakers claim higher wages could solve local unemployment problem

Leong Sun Iok

Lawmakers Leong Sun Iok and José Pereira Coutinho have claimed higher wages could solve at least part of the unemployment rate among local residents.

The two lawmakers were speaking in the period before the agenda of yesterday’s plenary session of the Legislative Assembly (AL).

Both claimed the employment situation is not improving at the same pace as the faster-than-expected economic recovery.

Leong noted that despite the more than 5,000 jobs the Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) is offering in the Macao One Account app, the “supply does not satisfy demand. There are more than 10,000 unemployed. [With only] 5,000 job posts available [only] 5,000 unemployed people will be successful in getting a job matching.”

Leong also said the salaries offered are too low and this is “the reason why locals and non-residents are not interested in taking them.” He hopes the “government will raise the salaries of civil servants in the hope that other sectors would follow.”

José Pereira Coutinho

On the same point, Pereira Coutinho noted it is difficult for locals to find good jobs due to “the battalion of non-resident and unskilled workers performing ‘white collar’ jobs, who are willing to work long hours with low wages, without overtime pay, without rights and benefits.”

He also took the opportunity to call once again for the government to reconsider issuing another round of electronic consumption subsidy of 8,000 patacas to residents.

He said most families are still struggling from the after-effects of the three years of Covid-19 pandemic restrictions. It is unlikely three months would be enough to restore the damage caused, he said.

Several lawmakers who also delivered different inquiries in the period before the agenda joined the list of those calling for the reinstatement of the consumption cards, including Song Pek Kei and Lo Choi In.

Ella Lei and Lam Lon Wai raised the topic of unemployment and accused some companies of giving their staff members poor conditions after the pandemic.

They accused some companies of exploiting workers to recover quickly from the financial damage caused by three years of restrictions.

Lei and Lam called on the government to update labor laws to tackle such issues that, according to lawmakers, are adversely affecting the workers’ livelihoods.