Workers in the transport sector grow 8.5%

The number of people employed by Macau’s transport and storage sector increased by 8.5% last year to 20,500, according to data released by the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC). At the same time, the number of operators within this sector increased by 136 compared to a year earlier, reaching 3,190 in 2018.
According to the DSEC data, operators in the transport and storage sector recorded a combined revenue of 24.53 billion patacas in 2018, up 9.3% in year-on-year terms. The revenue generated from passenger transport services rose 8.5% to MOP9.82 billion, attributed by the bureau to the growth of the air transport industry, while “services rendered” expanded by 7.5% to MOP9.45 billion.
On the other hand, following the commencement of operations of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge in late October 2018, receipts from the sea transport division inched down by 0.1% to MOP2.4 billion due to a decrease in the number of visitors and Macau residents travelling by sea. Official data released last week on the first anniversary of the bridge showed that it had been crossed by over 14 million passengers as well as 1.5 million vehicles.
Expenditure of the transport and storage sector amounted to MOP20.57 billion, up by 8.1% year-on-year, with operating expenses growing 7% to MOP9.35 billion. Meanwhile, the purchase of goods and services and commission remunerated went up by 11.2% to MOP7.14 billion, and compensation of employees grew by 5.6% to MOP4.08 billion.
Meanwhile, gross value added, which measures the sectoral contribution to the economy, stood at MOP8.05 billion, an increase of 10.5% year-on-year. DB