Non-resident worker total holding above 188,000

The number of non-resident workers in Macau rose by 4.3 percent year-
on-year to reach 188,321 at the end of January, the Labour Affairs Bureau announced, citing data provided by immigration authorities. Despite the year-on-year increase, the total is slightly lower than the number recorded in the previous month, December.

According to the data, foreign workers from mainland China accounted for 62 percent of the total number of imported labor. The number of non-resident workers from the Philippines stood at 31,924, the second-largest country of origin.

Other major segments came from Vietnam (15,267), Indonesia (5,466), Hong Kong (4,578), Nepal (4,274), and Myanmar (2,540).

In December, the number of non-resident workers reached its highest point on record at 188,480 people, following several years of stagnation and marginal decline. In the last quarter of 2018, Macau’s labor force stood just shy of 395,000.

The hospitality sector, comprising hotels, restaurants and other similar establishments, continues to employ the largest share of the non-resident workforce, followed by the construction sector and then domestic workers.

At the end of last month, the number of domestic helpers amounted to 29,217, including 15,769 from the Philippines, 7,507 from Vietnam, and 3,852 from Indonesia. DB