Macau’s Labour Affairs Bureau has reported that the number of foreign workers in Macau has decreased by 11 per cent since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Macau.- Authorities revealed the\u00a0number of foreign workers in Macau<\/strong>\u00a0has decreased 11 per cent<\/strong> since the start of the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Macau’s Labour Affairs Bureau,\u00a0Macau saw 852 fewer non-resident workers during the second quarter of the year\u00a0<\/strong>when compared to the previous period. Wholesale and retail trade were the most affected industries, followed by hotel restaurant and gaming sectors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Macau casinos workers have recently expressed their concerns about unpaid-leave arrangements<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cloee Chao Sao Fong<\/a>, a casino labour activist who was going to be a candidate for the upcoming Legislative Assembly election on September 12, said at least two of Macau\u2019s six gaming operators had pushed for unpaid leave <\/strong>in July. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sao Fong said: \u201cUnpaid leave arrangement is inevitable for gaming workers<\/strong>. We just hope\u2026 that Macau could recover soon and the unpaid leave arrangement would not last too long, as it really burdens the financial situation of the workers.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n After the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the unpaid leave system was applied by the casino operators then put on hold when there was more player traffic returning to the gaming floors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Taxes on the gaming industry<\/a> generated<\/strong> MOP19.64bn<\/strong> (US$2.46bn) <\/strong>in revenue for Macau during the first six months of the year<\/strong>, 39.3 per cent of the figure the government had estimated for the full year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In June, gaming tax revenue was up 23.4 per cent\u00a0when compared to May<\/a>, from MOP3.25bn (US$406.5m) to MOP4bn and up 431 per cent year-on-year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n According to its budget plan, Macau\u2019s government hopes to collect MOP50.01bn in taxes for the year 2021<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In July,\u00a0Macau’s GGR<\/a>\u00a0grew 29 per cent after a weak June. At MOP8.44bn (US$1.05bn), the figure was also up 528 per cent when compared to July 2020. Aggregate\u00a0casino GGR<\/strong>\u00a0for the first seven months of the year totals MOP57.4bn, up 64 per cent year-on-year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n GGR during the first week of August<\/a> declined by 48 per cent after a\u00a0community outbreak of Covid-19<\/a>. At MOP125m (US$15.6m), the figure is the lowest registered since last September.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMacau reaches 39 per cent of gaming tax revenue goal<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n