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29 KEITH MORRISON AUTHOR AND EDUCATIONIST - kmorrison.iium@gmail.com


Unlucky thirteen T


he most recent  gures on Macau’s labour force for the  rst quarter of the year from the Statistics and Census


Service tarnish the brilliance of Macau’s economic growth. While we should be cautious in inferring too much from the data, they send some clear messages. Macau’s reputation, in the arti cial light


of its gaming  oors, as a city in which Lady Luck may smile on you, is not really borne out in the hard light of day. Many people believe 13 is an unlucky number and government data seems to con rm it. What do the government’s  gures


suggest? Here are my unlucky thirteen points.


1. Almost half of the territory’s workers are earning less than the median monthly income of MOP9,600 (US$1,200). 2. Apart from cultural, recreational and gambling workers, those sectors of employment with the highest percentage of the working population (wholesale and retail, hotels and restaurants, real estate and business activities; some 40 percent of the employed population) are among the poorest paid. 3. About 31,800 workers – around 10 percent of the workforce – earn less than MOP4,000 a month. 4. Some 47.2 percent of the working population are earning MOP6,000 to MOP14,999 a month. 5. The number of people earning up to MOP3,999 a month, 9.7 percent of the population, is approaching double the number earning MOP30,000 or more a month, 5.8 percent of the population. 6. The number of people in the lowest income category earning up to MOP3,499 a month, at 27,500, is over 20 times higher than the 1,300 people in the highest income category earning MOP80,000 or more a month. 7. A worker stands a 91 percent chance of earning less than MOP30,000 a month, an 81 percent chance of earning less than MOP20,000 a month and a 49 percent chance of earning less than MOP10,000 a month. 8. A worker’s chances of earning less than MOP200 a day are around one in 4.4. 9. Among the lowest paid – a category with incomes up to MOP4,999 a month – those working 45 hours a week or more outnumber those working between 35 and 44 hours a week by seven to one. 10. Almost two-thirds of the employed population are working at least 45 hours a week. 11. Despite long working hours, incomes for the majority are very low. 12. There is a massive imbalance in the number of low-level to higher-level jobs, with 17.6 percent in the top occupations (legislators, senior of cials of government and associations, directors and company managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals) and 32.2 percent in the lowest-level jobs (craftsmen and similar


LADY LUCK DOESN’T SEEM TO BE SMILING TOO BROADLY ON MACAU’S WORKERS


workers, plant and machine operators, drivers and assemblers, unskilled workers). 13. If a worker wants to earn the highest median monthly income by occupation, MOP27,000, he or she should become a legislator, senior of cial in a government department or association, or a company director or manager. The chances of getting such a job are about one in 20.


Is Macau a boom town? Not for the


workers. Is Macau a place to earn a fortune? Don’t bet on it. Macau is a gambling city but your


chances of getting lucky with employment here, just as in the casinos, are stacked against you. With galloping in ation, it seems as


though the fat cats can get fatter while the thin cats get even thinner. Macau needs an economics dietician.


OCCUPATIONS AND EARNINGS IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2011 Industry


Manufacturing Electricity, gas and water supply Construction Wholesale and retail Hotels and restaurants Transport, storage and communications Financial services Real estate and business activities Public admin. and social security Cultural, recreational and gambling


Median monthly earnings (MOP)


6,000


19,000 10,000 7,800 7,000


10,000 12,000 7,000


19,000 13,000


Number of workers


14,100 1,400


27,600 44,600 45,500 15,700 7,700


28,900 23,200 76,900


EARNINGS AND HOURS WORKED IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2011 Earnings (MOP)


Up to 3,499 3,500-3,999 4,000-4,999 5,000-5,999 6,000-7,999 8,000-9,999 10,000-14,999 15,000-19,999 20,000-29,999 30,000-79,999 80,000 or more Total


Number of workers


27,500 4,300


19,500 23,100 50,000 34,700 68,600 35,500 32,900 17,200 1,300


314,600


Percentage of working population


8.4 1.3 6.0 7.1


15.4 10.7 21.1 10.9 10.1 5.4 0.4


96.8


Number of workers logging 35-44 hours a week


2,200 300


1,900 2,200 6,400 7,100


15,100 10,100 13,200 7,100 400


66,000 JULY 2011


Number of workers logging 45 hours or more a week


14,300 3,100


15,000 17,800 38,100 22,600 44,200 20,200 14,000 7,100 400


196,800 Source: Statistics and Census Service employment survey for Q1 2011


Percentage of working population


4.3 0.4 8.5


13.7 14.0 4.8 2.4 8.9 7.1


23.6 Source: Statistics and Census Service employment survey for Q1 2011


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