The findings of a recent survey conducted by the Macau Jiangmen Youths Association show that Macao’s young adults are “moderately” stressed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The survey identified young adults as aged between 18 and 45.
A statement about the survey’s findings concerning the employment situation for young adults in Macao during the Covid-19 pandemic was released by the association during a press conference in Yau Wai Building in Patane on Tuesday.
The president of the association, Ha Cheong Ieng, told the media that since the Covid-19 pandemic, members of his association have interviewed young adults on the street about their employment situation. He noted that the survey interviewed 607 respondents, 49 per cent male and 51 per cent female.
Ha noted that 6 per cent of the respondents are aged 18 to 24, adding that the association decided to have a small pool of participants in this age group because most of them are students. He also noted that 35 per cent of the respondents are aged 31-35, 19 per cent of whom are aged between 36 and 40, while 10 per cent are aged 41 and 45.
Ho did not say when exactly the street survey was carried out, merely saying it had been conducted since the start of the pandemic.
The first Covid-19 case in Macao was confirmed on 22 January.
Ha said that 60 per cent of the respondents said that their companies had implemented “cost-cutting” measures, such as requesting employees to clear their holidays or take unpaid leave. He said that according to the survey results, the respondents’ average score was 2.7-2.9 out of 5 on the stress scale (5 being the most stressed and 1 being the least), showing that young local adults are “not extremely” stressed by the situation.
The statement released on the sidelines of the press conference said that local adults were “moderately” stressed by the pandemic.
Ha also said that according to the survey, those working in the manufacturing industry or as drivers felt the most stressed financially during the pandemic, scoring 3.3 out of 5 on the stress scale. However, Ha added that out of all the groups the self-employed or freelance workers felt the most stressed mentally, scoring 3.2 on the stress scale.
The standing vice-chairwoman of the association, Lo Choi In, said that 82 per cent of the respondents said they found the government’s MOP 15,000 subsidy for employees the most helpful policy during the Covid-19 pandemic, while 61 per cent said they regarded the government’s consumption subsidy smartcard scheme as the most helpful financial policy. The respondents could indicate two policies that they considered “most helpful”.
According to the statement, the association hopes that civil society will place more resources on training young local adults and provide them with more job opportunities to assist them in coping with the hardship caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Jiangmen is a city some 65 kilometres northwest of Macao in Guangdong province. The city of 4.5 million inhabitants is the ancestral home of tens of thousands of Macao residents.
(The Macau Post Daily/Macau News)
