Two-thirds of local workers report no salary cut during Covid-19

A survey conducted by the Macau Federation of Trade Unions (FAOM) has shown that nearly two-thirds of interviewed local workers have not experienced any salary cuts since the outbreak of Covid-19.
On September 17, the organization released the results of a survey based on the pandemic’s effect on the local employment issues. The FAOM began the survey in July and collected 2,173 responses, 1,533 (70.5%) of which were from currently-employed workers. These workers are mainly from the casino, hospitality, retail, wholesale and food industries.
Of the 1,533 employed workers, the survey found that 66.2% of them had the same salary before and after the outbreak of Covid-19, and 1.3% were receiving a higher salary while working in the same role. About one-third of the 1,533 workers said that their salary was reduced or is currently suspended.
Despite the majority of respondents avoiding wage losses, many of them were still worried about salary cuts. According to the statistics, 62.7% of respondents were worried about salary reduction, with 17.1% of them “extremely worried.”
Out of all the interviewees, 248 are unemployed and 93.5% are worried about their employment prospects.
The association says that the SAR government should improve the income distribution system, especially the initial distribution system.
According to employment statistics released by the Statistics and Census Service, the median earnings of employed residents remained unchanged from the previous quarter, at 20,000 patacas. The median monthly employment earnings of employed workers in the second quarter was 15,000 patacas, 1,000 patacas down quarter to quarter.
The median earnings of those in gaming and junket activities and the construction sector stood at MOP19,800 and MOP15,000, respectively.