Number of non-resident Macau workers falls slightly

The number of non-resident workers decreased for the first time since the relaxation of entry and exit policies last January.

Macau.- The Labour Affairs Bureau has reported that the number of non-resident workers, often referred to as blue card holders, stood at 182,371 at the end of September. The number was down 0.471 per cent compared to the end of August. It’s the first time since the relaxation of entry and exit policies last January that the number has fallen.

The construction industry experienced the most significant decrease. The number of non-resident workers in the recreational, cultural, gaming and other services sector reached 11,002, up 29 per cent from 8,505 in January 2023 and up by 38 from the end of August (10,964).

The Hotels, Restaurants, and similar activities sector has consistently been the largest employer of non-resident workers in Macau. As of the end of September, the sector employed 52,605 foreign workers, up by 42 per cent. The majority were from mainland China, followed by the Philippines and Vietnam.

See also: Macau casino GGR reaches US$2.60bn in October

Tourism in Macau: airport traffic reaches 80% of pre-Covid-19 levels

CAM, the operator of Macau’s international airport, has reported that the passenger traffic recovered to around 80 per cent of pre-pandemic levels in the first ten months of this year. The airport recorded 6.34m passenger trips, an increase of 56.92 per cent in year-on-year terms.

CAM said in a statement on Friday (November 1) that most flight routes disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic have resumed, and some airlines have introduced wide-bodied aircraft to accommodate rising passenger demand. The majority of routes handled by the airport connect to locations in mainland China.

Data from Macau’s Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) show that Macau’s airport recorded 2.30 million visitor entries from January to September. Some 68.7 per cent of arrivals used mainland China identification.  

CAM has reported a new winter flight schedule featuring new services, including some from the city’s flag carrier, Air Macau. The winter flight schedule generally operates from late October until the end of March. A new Air Macau service to Taichung in Taiwan will start this month, and there will be more flights to Bangkok, Thailand, in December. Low-cost carrier Jeju Air intends to resume a route between Macau and Jeju Island in South Korea.

See also: Hotel occupancy rate reaches 85.4% in first nine months of the year