News

The Statistics and Census Service now presents the results of Employment Survey for the 1st quarter of 2005. Principal indicators such as the labour force participation rate, unemployment and underemployment rates were released in the brief report in April 2005. In the 1st quarter of 2005, the labour force was estimated at 240 000, of which 230 000 were employed, while 9 900 were unemployed. When compared with the 4th quarter of 2004, the employed population and unemployed population increased by 1 300 persons and 100 persons respectively. With regard to the total employed population, 52.5% of them were males. - Analysed by industry, the majority of workers were in Manufacturing (15.9%), Recreational & cultural activities, gaming & other services (15.8%), Wholesale & retail trade (15.4%), and Hotel, restaurants & similar activities (10.9%). - In terms of occupation, 20.5% of the employed population were Clerks, followed by Service & sales workers (20.0%), and Unskilled workers (16.4%). - The median actual hours worked per week was 47.7 hours and the median monthly employment earnings was MOP5 680. The unemployed searching for a new job accounted for 91.2% of the total unemployed population, while 8.8% are those who had never worked before and were searching for their first job. With regard to the educational attainment of the unemployed, 19.2% had not completed primary education; 33.4% completed primary education, 28.2% attained junior secondary, 11.7% with senior secondary and 7.5% with tertiary education. With regard to the unemployed searching for a new job: - Analysed by previous industry, the majority had worked in Manufacturing (22.3%), followed by Hotels, restaurants & similar activities (18.5%), Construction (17.1%) and Wholesale & retail trade (15.3%). - In terms of their previous occupation, 25.1% had worked as Unskilled workers, followed by Service & sales workers (22.8%) and Plant and machine operators and assemblers (16.5%).
…

The Legislative Assembly Election Commission today issued its first election related guidelines, after holding its second meeting. According to the guidelines, the accounting period for the election campaign took effect on 2 May 2005, the day the executive order stipulating a cap on how much candidates groups could spend on their campaigns was gazetted. At the request of the Commission, three representatives from the Commission Against Corruption also attended today’s meeting. They reviewed several issues raised in the 2001 election and discussed issues that might arise in this election. The Chairman of the Legislative Assembly Election Commission, Judge Fong Man Chong, said the Commission would work closely with the Commission Against Corruption to ensure the election is fair, just and open. Meanwhile, the Legislative Assembly Election website was launched today (http://www.el2005.gov.mo), where information about the election will be posted. The public could also contact the Commission by telephone (321925), Fax (321332) or e-mail (info@el2005.gov.mo). Earlier this month the Chief Executive appointed the Commission to oversee the Legislative Assembly Election to be held in September, the second election after the establishment of the Macao Special Administrative Region.
…

The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah is scheduled to visit Beijing tomorrow to attend opening ceremony of FORTUNE Global Forum 2005. President Hu Jintao will deliver a keynote address at the gala opening. The three-day forum, with the theme of ''China and the New Asian Century'', will be attended by more than 800 CEOs of global businesses, heads of state, and leading think-tank members. It is the third time the Mainland is playing host to the Forum.
…

Information from the Statistics and Census Service shows that per-capita spending of visitors in the first quarter of 2005 dropped merely 0.5% over the same period of 2004 to MOP 1,490. Per-capita spending of visitors from Mainland China topped the list with MOP 2,816, while that of visitors from Hong Kong was MOP 933. Compared with the same period of 2004, per-capita spending of tourists grew 6% to MOP 2,035, while that of same-day visitors decreased 1% to MOP 533. In addition, per-capita non-shopping spending (excluding gaming expenses) of visitors rose 2% year-on-year to MOP 824, of which “food and beverage” (39%) accounted for the most, followed by “accommodation” (36%). Furthermore, per-capita shopping spending of visitors was MOP 666, a decrease of 3% over the same period of 2004. Spending on “Chinese pastry, candy and food” (25% of the total shopping spending) and “clothing and fabrics” (22%) took the lead. Per-diem spending of visitors was MOP 1,352 in the first quarter of 2005, up 3% over the same period of 2004. Mainland visitors had the highest spending, at MOP 2,150. Compared with the same quarter of 2004, the average length of stay of visitors (1.1 days), tourists (1.6 days) and same-day visitors (0.2 day) remained unchanged.
…

Information from the Statistics and Census Service shows that in the first quarter of 2005, construction of 14 buildings was started. They included residential, residential & other uses, industrial and buildings for other uses. The gross floor area was 80,901m², up 70.8% and down 65.6% in comparison with the first quarter and the fourth quarter of 2004 respectively. The total number of units was 652, up 346.6% and 129.6% over the first quarter and the fourth quarter of 2004 respectively. In the first quarter of 2005, 9 buildings were completed or extended. They included residential, residential & other uses, commercial, offices and buildings for others uses. The gross floor area was 82,574 m², up 101.7% and down 19.0% in comparison with the first quarter and the fourth quarter of 2004 respectively. The total number of units was 49, down 71.3% and 92.4% compared with the first quarter and the fourth quarter of 2004 respectively. According to the information supplied by the Finance Services Bureau, 8,350 units with a total value of MOP 5.52 billion were transacted in the first quarter of 2005. Among them, 4,882 were residential units, with a value of MOP 3.74 billion. Among all the building units transacted, 1,214 units were exempt from property tax (i.e. they were new buildings) with their value amounting to MOP 1.54 billion. In the first quarter of 2005, the average transaction price of residential units per square meter of usable area was MOP9,190, up 25.2% and 6.4% respectively over the first quarter (MOP7,343) and the fourth quarter of 2004 (MOP8,635). Meanwhile, the average transaction prices of residential units in the Macao Peninsula and Taipa were MOP7,911 and MOP11,949 per square meter respectively, higher than the levels recorded in the first quarter and the fourth quarter of 2004. Moreover, the average transaction price of residential units in Coloane was MOP12,146 per square meter, up from MOP7,648 of the first quarter of 2004 and from MOP11,128 of the fourth quarter of 2004. In terms of year of building completion, in the first quarter of 2005, the overall average transaction price per square meter in Macao was MOP16,108 for the residential units completed in “2000 and after”, up 34.1% and 3.5% compared with the first quarter of 2004 (MOP12,008) and the fourth quarter of 2004 (MOP15,566) respectively. For those completed “From 1990 to 1999”, the average price was MOP9,402, up 29.4% and 7.7% over the first quarter of 2004 (MOP7,267) and the fourth quarter of 2004 (MOP8,728) respectively. The average price for those completed in “1989 and before” was MOP5,282, up 22.9% over the first quarter of 2004 (MOP4,297) and 5.2% over the fourth quarter of 2004 (MOP5,022).
…

The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, and his delegation continued on their four-day visit in Guangxi today with visits to infrastructure projects. In the morning, they arrived in Fangchenggang city and visited Dongxing port, a checkpoint between the Mainland and Vietnam. Accompanying the delegation were the Vice Chairman of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Mr Lei Jinzao, the Secretary of the CPC of the city, Mr Zhu Jun, and the Mayor, Ms Fan Xiaoli. They also visited a port and a company in Fangchenggang in the afternoon. In the evening, on behalf of the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) government, Mr Ho hosted a banquet in Nanning and thanked their hosts for the hospitality accorded to them on the visit. The Secretary of the CPC Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Regional Committee, Mr Cao Bochun, and the Chairman of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Mr Lu Bing, attended the banquet together with representatives of the relevant departments. The Secretary for Economy and Finance of the MSAR, Mr Francis Tam, said the visit would further enhance co-operation between Macao and Guangxi. He said he hoped businesses in Macao and the autonomous region would continue to strengthen bilateral co-operation. The delegation is scheduled to visit Liuzhou tomorrow.
…

Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicates that in March 2005, visitor arrivals in package tours totalled 216,093, down 17.9% over March 2004. Visitors from Mainland China (162,130) decreased 32.0% year-on-year while visitors from Taiwan, China (28,267) and Hong Kong (9,473) surged 132.3% and 46.1% respectively. In the first quarter of 2005, visitors arrived in Macao in package tours grew 9.8% over the same period of 2004 to 596,860. Number of Macao residents travelling in package tours totalled 19,512 in March 2005, a year-on-year increase of 62.1%. Mainland China, Thailand and Taiwan, China were the three more popular tour itineraries, which accounted for 86.5%, 3.4% and 2.4% of the total respectively. In the first quarter of 2005, Macao residents travelling in package tours went up 59.0% compared with the same period of 2004. Meanwhile, 22,781 Macao residents travelled under own arrangements with the assistance of travel agencies, a slight increase of 1.2% over March 2004; Mainland China (40.3%), Taiwan, China (20.9%) and Hong Kong (16.9%) were the major destinations. In the first quarter of 2005, Macao residents travelling under such arrangements fell 10.5% compared with the same period of 2004. Subsequent to the operation of several new hotels, number of rooms available in hotels and similar establishments increased to 10,585 as at the end of March 2005, which corresponded to a significant growth of 13.8% over March 2004. In March 2005, a total of 318,745 guests checked into hotels and similar establishments, a decrease of 9.5% over March 2004. The average hotel occupancy rate fell 13.2 percentage points to 64.9% compared with the same month of 2004. The highest occupancy rate was in 3-star hotels, at 74.2%. The average length of stay of hotel guests was the same as March 2004, with 1.19 nights. The majority of the guests came from Mainland China (54.3%), Hong Kong (29.8%) and Taiwan, China (3.1%). In the first quarter of 2005, number of hotel guests showed a marginal increase of 0.1% to 909,768 over the same period of 2004. In the first quarter of 2005, hotel guests (excluding Macao residents) accounted for 40.4% of the total number of tourists, which was lower than the 46.1% recorded in the same period of 2004.
…

Information from the Statistics and Census Service shows that in the first quarter of 2005, 713 companies were newly incorporated, with MOP108.28 million in registered capital. Compared with the first quarter of 2004, the number of newly incorporated companies and their registered capital increased 51.7% and 29.5% respectively. These newly incorporated companies were mostly in Wholesale and Retail sector (163), followed by Real Estate (145), Construction (134) and Business Services (132). On the other hand, 61 companies were dissolved in the first quarter of 2005, with MOP10.92 million in registered capital. Among them, most had been in Wholesale and Retail (20), followed by Real Estate (14). Among the stockholders of the newly incorporated companies, 60.8% were Macao residents. In addition, newly incorporated companies with a capital of 50 thousand Patacas or less accounted for 63.5% (453 companies) of the total number, whereas their capital only made up 12.3% of the total. Meanwhile 665 of the newly incorporated companies were limited companies. Based on the place of residence of the stockholders, the capital of the newly incorporated companies in the first quarter of 2005 mostly came from Macao (MOP69.73 million), followed by Hong Kong (MOP19.29 million) and the British Virgin Islands (MOP11.14 million). Guangdong province (MOP 2.35 million) topped the list of capital coming from the provinces within the Pan-Pearl River Delta Region. According to the combination of the place of residence of stockholders, 560 of the newly incorporated companies were established by stockholders from a single country/region, the majority of which (341 companies) were established solely by Macao stockholders, followed by those from Hong Kong (132 companies). The number of the newly incorporated companies with stockholders from Macao and other countries/regions was 137, of which 73 were joint ventures of Macao and Hong Kong stockholders and 40 were of Macao and Mainland China stockholders. The newly incorporated companies with stockholders solely from countries/regions other than Macao totalled 16, of which 8 were joint ventures of Hong Kong and the British Virgin Islands and 3 were of Hong Kong and Mainland China.
…

Starting tomorrow, May 9, and taking place during the period of five days, is a Seminar on “EU Economic Integration and CEPA Agreements” integrated in the Co-operation Programme in the Legal Field between the European Union and Macao. Organised by the Legal and Judicial Training Centre, this seminar is divided into eight sessions, spread out along the five days, which will have as speakers Zhang Lei, Lecturer of Law of the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies and Lawyer of the Zhengping Tiancheng Law Firm in China; António José Marques-Mendes, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Economics of Coimbra University, Portugal; Ieong Pou Yee, Deputy Director of the Economic Services of the MSAR; and Cheng Kam Vong, Head of the Regional Economic Affairs Division of the Foreign Economic Relations Department of the Economic Services of the MSAR. From Monday to Friday the subjects approached will be “An overview of Macao’s economic situation and CEPA agreements”, “Some new trends in China’s economic legislation”, “EU Integration – An overview of the last 45 years”, “China’s foreign investment encouraging and protective measures”, “Foreign direct investment and TRIMs, TRIPs”, “The implementation of CEPA and its impact on Macao economy”, “CEPA’s impact on trade and investment in Macao and Hong Kong” and “The Euro, the Yuan and the liberalisation of portfolio investment in China and Europe”. This training course takes place daily between 6.30 pm and 8.30 pm and will be conducted in English. This seminar mainly targets holders of a Law degree. The Co-operation Programme in the Legal Field between the European Union and Macao, in which this seminar is integrated, has as its main objective the “Consolidation of the Macao Legal System”. Currently in its fourth and last year, it will proceed until February 2006. The total budget for the programme is of 1.980.000 euros, shared in equal parts by the European Union and Macao. The co-ordination of the Co-operation Programme is at the responsibility of the International Law Office, being the organisation of the pertaining activities ensured by several other entities of the MSAR’s Government, namely the Legal and Judicial Training Centre, the Legal Affairs Bureau, the Economic Services and the Institute of European Studies, other than the International Law Office itself.
…

The Secretary for Security, Mr Cheong Kuok Va, said today that the police would make crime prevention and combating theft one of the priorities in the fight against crime this year. Mr Cheong said this when he announced the crime statistics for the first quarter of 2005, which showed a drop in offences against the persons and violent crime, compared with the same quarter last year. Latest statistics showed a total of 2,461 crimes were recorded in the first three months of 2005, an 11% increase (+258 cases) over the same period last year. Mr Cheong said that was mainly due to a 22.7% increase (+249 cases) in property related offences, namely theft and loan sharking, which went up by 21.9% and 76.9% respectively. Meanwhile, offences against the person, violation of social lives and violent crime had dropped by 1.9% (-10 cases), 10.4% (-22 cases) and 9.2% (-20 cases) respectively. Among the offences against the persons, 308 cases were physical offences, a drop of 6.4% (-26 cases). Criminal intimidation had dropped by 4.9% (-4 cases) while serious physical offences had increased from five cases to seven. Violent crimes continued to drop in the first three month of this year, Mr Cheong said – there were a total of 197 cases; a drop of 9.2% (-20 cases) was recorded, with a 12.6% drop in robbery (-11 cases), a 21.7% drop in extortion (-5 cases) and a 33.3% drop in murder, with two cases (-1 case). He said that the police had solved all four murder cases this year. On the other hand, juvenile crimes increased by 18.8% to 38 cases (+6 cases); and the number of underage people involved also increases by 36 people, to 86. Mr Cheong had the police would respond to the new crime trend and take the initiative in introducing more patrols, act and work more closely with the public and social organisations to promote awareness of crime prevention.
…