Briefs | More students seek Portuguese-speaking countries

The number of local students seeking education in Portuguese-speaking countries after high school increased 70 percent in the last five academic years, according to Sou Chio Fai, Director of the Tertiary Education Services Office. The number of students from Portuguese-speaking countries studying in Macau also tripled that of five academic years ago.  As elaborated by Sou, the most popular subjects among local students in Portuguese-speaking countries are law, education and Chinese-Portuguese translation.

Seac Pai Van to build leisure area

The government will build a leisure area nearby Seac Pai Van Reservoir. Last Friday, the Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau received 18 tenders for the concession of the project’s construction. The maximum construction period is 540 work days, with the construction expected to be finished within the first quarter of next year. The leisure area will have separate spaces for bicycles, running, walking and will provide a playground for children. Two new roads, one 430 meters long and another 320 meters long, will also be built.

Unemployment rate remains stable

Both the general unemployment rate (1.8 percent) and the unemployment rate of local residents (2.4 percent) for the July-September 2018 period remained stable, according to information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC). The underemployment rate was 0.4 percent, down by 0.2 percentage points. The total labor force was 394,600 and the labor force participation rate was 71.3 percent. Total employment was 387,600 and number of employed residents totaled 285,300, up by 2,600 and 1,600 respectively from the previous period.  Median monthly employment earnings of the employed in the third quarter remained stable from the previous quarter at MOP16,000, with those engaging in gaming and junket activities and construction earning MOP20,000 and MOP15,000 respectively. Moreover, median earnings of the employed residents stood at MOP20,000, the same as in the second quarter.

IC to subsidize eight teams for fashion design program

The Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) has received a total of 21 applications for the “2018 Subsidy Programme for Fashion Design on Sample Making,” and have selected 15 entrants for the second review, which will be granted a subsidy up to a maximum amount of MOP170,000. Following the second review, entrants may apply for a subsidy in the maximum amount of MOP12,000 to reimburse the expenses incurred on sample making and presentation. According to a statement, the adjudicating panel will select a maximum of eight individuals or teams as the beneficiaries of the programme. The subsidies will cover expenses of sample making and production of promotional materials.

DSI launches multi-service counters

The Identification Services Bureau (DSI) has officially launched multi-service counters for citizens to lodge application for various identification documents via a single counter. Through the implementation of the “multi-service counter” service model, citizens can now go through formalities for the resident identity card such as their SAR travel documents, the Certificate of Criminal Record, the Certificate of Personal Data, and the Certificate of Association and Foundation. According to a statement issued by the bureau, the counters aim to save citizens time for lodging different applications in the respective service counter and allocate human resources more effectively. Previously, such a service model has been introduced to the DSI service zone at the Government Services Centre in Areia Preta.