Macao approved more than 460 applicants under the first phase of its talent acquisition scheme, according to Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng – who noted the figure at a meeting of the Talent Development Committee yesterday, the Macau Post Daily reported.
That first phase of the scheme saw senior managers, professionals, teachers and researchers get the go-ahead to work in Macao. Of the successful applicants, 111 were in the highest category, with an average annual salary of more than four million patacas. In the second category were 331 “senior professionals,” earning more than one million patacas.
More than 1,000 people applied for the scheme, the committee’s secretary-general, Chao Chong Hang, told media. About 80 percent of them hailed from the Chinese mainland, with the remaining 20 percent divided evenly between Hong Kong and the rest of the world.
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Chao said that the scheme’s second phase was already underway, having launched in May, and that the committee would be considering applicants until 20 November. This phase would place more emphasis on admitting “international” talents, he noted.
The third phase is set to open in the first quarter of 2025. Chao said people with international working experience would receive preferential treatment during the phase, and that those from Portuguese-speaking countries would also be of interest.
The government launched its talent acquisition scheme in July last year, with the top category reserved for applicants with skills that could enhance the SAR’s four key emerging industries: life sciences, technology, fintech, and large scale event production, including international cultural and sporting events.
