Just over 13,000 non-resident workers (NRWs) moved to Macao between the end of January and the end of June, TDM reports. Data from the Services for Labor Affairs shows there were 165,273 NRWs in total in the city in the middle of the year. In 2019 – the last full year before Covid-19 hit – they numbered 196,538.
Mainland Chinese continue to be by far the biggest group of NRWs, at 115,000 people (almost a third) in total. Filipinos follow, at 25,000, then Vietnamese at 7,000.
In May alone, about 3,700 NRWs were hired – an average of 125 per day. The hotel and catering sector is this group of migrants’ biggest employer, contributing to about 43 percent of hires.
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Between January 2020 and the end of March 2022, nearly 30,000 NRWs left the city. The majority moved back to their hometowns due to the economic impact caused by Covid-19, which led to the closure of restaurants, construction sites, small- and medium-sized enterprises, tourism shops and travel agencies.
Now, Macao’s post-pandemic economic recovery is coming up against a shortage of labour, particularly in the hospitality sector.
