Macao’s population of nonresident workers grew by 2,079 in March to stand at 154,658, according to new figures from the Labour Affairs Bureau.
Most of the new hires were made by the hotel and restaurant sector, which recruited almost a thousand nonresident staff. The construction sector was able to welcome 472 such workers, while domestic workers made up the total.
The great majority of nonresident workers came from mainland China (107,745), with the Philippines (24,245) and Vietnam (7,281) providing the second and third largest contingents.
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Although hiring is taking place at a faster pace than in February, when just 700 nonresident workers took up positions in Macao, it is still not able to match demand.
Some 45,000 nonresident workers left Macao during the Covid-19 pandemic and the city now faces stiff competition from other Asian destinations when it comes to replacing them.
Analysts say that the approval process for hiring nonresidents is slow and that the shortage of labour is hindering Macao’s full economic recovery. An estimated 15 percent of Macao’s hotel rooms were mothballed over the Labour Day holiday period because there weren’t enough staff to service them.
