A total of 177,561 migrant workers were employed in Macao as of the first month of this year – making up almost half of Macao’s workforce of 379,700. The figure represents a month-on-month increase of 900 individuals, according to new data from the Labour Affairs Bureau (also known by its Portuguese initials DSAL).
The statistics show that 50,249 non-resident employees worked in the hotel and restaurant sector, making it the industry with the highest number of such workers.
Compared to the previous month, this total represents an addition of 863 workers – the largest increase out of the 16 industries listed.
[See more: Macao aims to ban foreign workers from forming trade unions]
The construction and domestic work sectors were in a distant second and third place, with a total of 29,460 and 25,918 workers respectively. The former saw the greatest month-on-month decrease in migrant workers, dropping by 749.
Other industries maintained a steady rise in the number of non-resident employees. Most continue to come from the Chinese mainland, which supplied 121,047 workers. This was followed by the Philippines (29,169) and Vietnam (7,844).
The new data comes in the wake of a proposal by a Legislative Assembly standing committee that would prevent foreign workers from forming their own trade unions.
