‘Practices undermine fair access to employment opportunities for local residents’

Dear Editor,

I am writing to express serious concerns regarding the current state of labor market regulation in Macau, particularly the insufficient oversight of non-resident workers and the impact this has on the employment opportunities of local residents.

Consultancy and construction companies

Several consultancy firms in the engineering and construction sector operate in Macau while being headquartered outside the territory. These companies stipulate English as their primary contractual and working language.
Nevertheless, according to information provided by DSAL staff, some of these firms have rejected applicants solely because they were unable to read documents in Chinese, despite otherwise meeting all requirements.
Furthermore, evidence suggests that some companies employ non-resident workers on-site whose “blue cards” are registered under the name of the main contractor or third-party firms, in violation of labor quotas and legal hiring procedures.
It has also been observed that, shortly before official labor inspections, contractor representatives checked workers’ “blue cards” and instructed those in irregular situations to leave the site temporarily. This raises the troubling question of how companies might have had prior access to privileged information about upcoming inspections.

Tax compliance and work-related travel

Many of these companies require frequent work-related travel by their employees between Macau, Hong Kong, and Mainland China.
Additionally, some companies do not maintain a valid registered address in Macau – a requirement for tax purposes – thereby potentially violating local fiscal obligations.

Impact on the local labor market

These issues were previously reported by telephone to DSAL in July.
They clearly disrupt the balance of the labor market and limit the employment prospects of Macau residents.

Language barriers in other sectors

The candidate in question has demonstrated availability for jobs in multiple sectors – not only construction – including casinos, having applied online for positions such as driver, security officer, fitness instructor, and doorman.
Despite English being the official working language at many of these casino operators, interviews were often conducted in Cantonese, which effectively excluded the candidate without fluency in Cantonese or Mandarin.
As a result, it appears that only candidates with fluency in both Chinese languages are considered eligible, while other valuable qualifications – such as fluency in Portuguese and English, higher education, and professional experience – are disregarded.
Selection criteria, therefore, seem to function mainly on the basis of exclusion rather than inclusion.

Lack of local worker protection and reporting mechanisms

When contacting DSAL, the candidate was advised to file a formal complaint with the Labor Inspection Department.
However, this suggestion disregards the worker’s right to anonymity and exposes them to risks regarding their personal safety.
No alternative labor protective measures were proposed.
This raises the broader question of whether labor inspections in Macau are conducted only in response to complaints, instead of being carried out preventively to protect and regulate the local labor market.

In conclusion, these practices undermine fair access to employment opportunities for local residents and call into question the effectiveness of current regulatory measures.

Final note: For legal reasons, the names of companies or casino operators mentioned have been omitted from this letter.

A Macau resident