Sam pledges talent study as gov’t prioritizes local employment, reviews foreign worker approvals

Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai said yesterday that “employment is the foundation of people’s livelihoods,” as he addressed lawmakers’ concerns over local jobs and industrial restructuring, pledging that the government will release by year-end a study on Macau’s future talent demand in key sectors.

He reaffirmed the principle that “local residents who are capable of doing the work should be given priority,” adding that the government is strengthening safeguards for local employment through the Employment Promotion Coordination Working Group. From January to April this year, the government held 40 industry-specific job-matching sessions, helping 3,770 people secure employment.

As of April, the total number of non-resident workers stood at 182,815, including 147,745 non-professional workers and 6,287 professional workers. Sam emphasized that the government would assess approvals for non-resident workers based on Macau’s economic development needs, particularly for labor-intensive and grassroots positions where local labor is insufficient, as well as for specialized technical roles.

For positions that local job seekers are willing and able to fill, the government will proactively refer local residents to employers and follow up on placement results.

The government’s “Employment Plus Training” program has provided more than 600 quality job vacancies this year, with coverage expanded to include the finance and telecommunications sectors, along with targeted training and certification programs. As of April, the Integrated Vocational Training Platform had launched 447 courses with more than 3,000 users. A “customized training course” is expected to be introduced in the third quarter to better align vocational training with market demand.

At a Legislative Assembly (AL) Q&A session, Sam announced that the government would conduct a survey on future talent demand in Macau’s key development industries to understand future job requirements in the “1+4” sectors, as well as in the education, healthcare, and legal professions. The survey report is expected to be released within the year to help students plan their career paths.

The government will use mainland study subsidies and scholarships as policy guides, encouraging universities to improve their academic offerings in line with social and industrial development trends and to develop short-duration, market-oriented microprograms.

For the 2026-2027 academic year, the University of Macau, Macau Polytechnic University, and Macau University of Tourism will actively explore offering 11 such microprograms to provide students with training in key industrial sectors.

A new phase of the talent development certification incentive scheme will be launched in the second half of the year, adding a new catalogue of certification rewards aligned with national and Macau’s development needs, with individual certification reward amounts increased based on certification costs.

Macau Boosts young doctors’ career development

Sam specifically noted that the government places high importance on the career development of young medical professionals. In terms of local training, the internship system has been enhanced, a family medicine training base has been established, and specialist training continues. The government has also promoted the Private Medical Institutions Law, which added a day hospital category, and through public-private partnership projects such as “Healthy Community Stations,” has provided employment opportunities for more than 300 young medical professionals.

The second phase of the “Macau Young Doctors Greater Bay Area Advanced Study Program” is anticipated to commence in the fourth quarter of this year, Sam noted, while also pointing out that the 2026 Medical Subsidy Scheme has been extended to cover Guangdong Province, thereby “broadening the scope of practice for medical professionals.”

According to him, the government is building a fund-guided industrial investment ecosystem to attract international capital and professional fund management companies to Macau. Several fund companies have already established operations, with more under review, and these companies will recruit a certain number of local financial professionals.

The technology industrial park currently under development is in its pre-investment promotion phase, attracting “1+4” industries and expected to create additional jobs while promoting economic diversification.

In the first five months of this year, the investor one-stop service followed up on 108 investment projects, with “1+4” industry projects accounting for more than 60 percent, creating a total of 493 jobs.

ON THE AGENDA

Third Five-Year Plan set for August release

Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai stated that the government would, building on the foundation of public consultation, systematically analyze, organize, and synthesize input from all sectors to finalize the official text of the third five-year plan, with the aim of publishing and implementing it in August this year.

He further indicated that the drafting of next year’s policy address would be fully aligned with and would break down the key tasks identified in the plan, “ensuring that the third five-year plan is completed step by step and advanced year by year.” He also appealed to all sectors of society and the general public to actively offer suggestions and ideas. He noted that as of early this month, the government had submitted seven bills to the Legislative Assembly, observing that “legislative efficiency has improved.”

University Town set for 1,350 postgrads in 2026–27

The Macau Science and Technology Research and Development (R&D) Industrial Park is advancing its design plans, with project tenders due this month and the Macau International Science and Technology Industry Center opening on June 30, Sam Hou Fai announced as part of the “1+4” economic diversification push. He also said three universities will move into the Macau–Hengqin International Education (University) Town in the 2026–27 academic year with 1,350 postgraduate students.

Sam stated that appropriate economic diversification has made progress, detailing that the government-guided fund is expected to reach MOP20 billion in scale, with the public capital enterprise Macau Investment Management Company Limited established in May as the management entity.

From January to May, the government completed follow-up on 108 investment projects, involving approximately MOP1.746 billion, of which 69 were “1+4” industry projects, representing a 35.2% year-on-year increase.