Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that receipts and expenditure of the Transport, Storage & Communications Sector totalled MOP 28.69 billion and MOP 23.11 billion respectively in 2015, up by 3.1% and 1.5% year-on-year. Gross Value Added that measures the sectoral contribution to the economy amounted to MOP 9.84 billion, up by 10.3% year-on-year. Gross Surplus increased by 10.5% to MOP 5.70 billion. Gross Fixed Capital Formation surged by 101.6% to MOP 2.85 billion. A total of 2,789 establishments were operating in the sector, an increase of 272 year-on-year; number of persons engaged rose by 2.0% to 19,404, of which 81.4% were employees. Receipts of the Transport & Storage Sector totalled MOP 18.94 billion, down by 2.6% year-on-year. Owing to a decline in travel agency business, receipts of Supporting & Auxiliary Transport Activities (MOP 9.87 billion) dropped by 3.8%. Moreover, receipts of Air Transport (MOP 4.02 billion) fell by 11.9% due to various factors such as reduction in fuel surcharges and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome outbreak in South Korea. Expenditure of the Transport & Storage Sector decreased by 4.7% year-on-year to MOP 16.06 billion; Operating Expenses (MOP 7.83 billion) shrank by 3.7%, dragged down by a 23.6% drop in fuel expenses (MOP 1.87 billion) on account of lower oil prices; meanwhile, expenditure on rent of machinery & equipment (MOP 1.21 billion) rose by 15.6%. As the decline in receipts was lower than that in expenditure, Gross Value Added (MOP 6.17 billion) and Gross Surplus (MOP 2.89 billion) of the sector grew by 10.2% and 12.0% respectively year-on-year. Gross Fixed Capital Formation increased by 52.9% to MOP 1.53 billion owing to an increase in acquisition of aircrafts by Air Transport establishments. There were 2,758 establishments operating in the Transport & Storage Sector, an increase of 274 year-on-year; number of establishments in Land Transport went up by 202 to 2,148. Number of persons engaged grew by 1.1% year-on-year to 16,915, with those working in Supporting & Auxiliary Transport Activities rising by 4.5% to 7,720. Meanwhile, number of persons engaged in Land Transport dropped by 2.7% to 5,914, of which self-employed taxi and truck drivers (3,058) accounted for 51.7%. Receipts of the Communications Sector grew by 16.2% year-on-year to MOP 9.75 billion, of which receipts of Telecommunications Services (MOP 9.00 billion) rose by 13.7%. Expenditure of the sector increased by 19.3% to MOP 7.05 billion, with Purchase of Goods & Services and Commission Paid growing by 23.3% to MOP 5.38 billion. Gross Value Added of the sector totalled MOP 3.68 billion, up by 10.5% year-on-year. Gross Surplus increased by 9.0% to MOP 2.81 billion. Gross Fixed Capital Formation surged by 219.7% to MOP 1.32 billion owing to an increase in acquisition of telecommunications equipment and real estate. There were 31 establishments operating in the Communications Sector, down by 2 year-on-year; number of persons engaged increased by 7.9% to 2,489.
