POLICY ADDRESS – Francis Tam: Gov’t prepares bill to regulate employment agencies

2013-11-27

From：Macau Daily Times

The recruitment of non-resident workers remains on the lawmakers’ agenda. Attending the Legislative Assembly (AL) Policy Address debate for the second day, the Secretary for Economy and Finance was yet again confronted with criticism over an increase in the number of non-
resident workers. Following questions on the recruitment of foreign domestic helpers, Francis Tam revealed that the government is preparing a bill to regulate employment agencies.
When looking for a job, foreign domestic helpers have to resort to employment agencies in order to be recruited in Macau.
Lawmakers urged the government to request further training courses from these agencies to enhance the skills of domestic helpers. Replying to legislators, Francis Tam explained that the government is studying the possibility of regulating employment agencies. “We aim to deliver a document that will be open to discussion in the Standing Committee for the Coordination of Social Affairs (CPCS) next year,” he said.
Moreover, Tam added that the idea is to draft a law, providing rules for the operation of these agencies. However, he did not clarify if such a law would be extended to other types of recruitment agencies.
With lawmakers insisting on the issue of foreign labor, the Secretary had no choice but to repeat what he had already stated on Monday: the import of foreign labor will continue to be determined by the needs of Macau’s society. He used the word “balance” once again to explain that, for now, the number of additional non-resident workers each year, at 20,000, “is adequate.”
But, among lawmakers, a consensus seems hard to reach. While lawmaker Ng Kuok Cheong talks about an “invasion of non-resident workers”, Lau Veng Seng proclaims a lack of human resources, particularly in the construction sector.
From Ng Kuok Cheong’s perspective, the importing of non-resident workers, particularly in the casino industry, exceeds the established percentage of 20 percent: “The Venetian and Galaxy have 29 percent of their staff made up of non-residents. Other operators also exceeded the 20 percent line. Could the government implement measures demanding concessionaires to reduce the number of foreign workers?” he asked.
Moreover, he believes that the “invasion of TNRs [non-resident workers]” has been contributing to cases of companies firing residents to instead hire foreigners.
In addition, Kwan Tsui Hang has drawn attention to the fact that salaries are too low in Macau.
“The salary of the population is really low and the government fails to provide a feeling of security (…) you have a mechanism to hire non-residents but you fail to help the locals to have better salaries,” she declared, adding that the mechanism to import foreign labor “is not wrong”, but that the government has been unable to ensure higher salaries for Macau residents.
Melinda Chan and José Pereira Coutinho have also criticized the import of foreign labor. “[There is a need] to reduce the number of non-residents in higher job posts [in the gaming sector]. Only this way locals will be able to reach such positions,” Melinda suggested. Pereira Coutinho, on the other hand, is against the recruitment of non-resident teachers, particularly by the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau (DSEJ). “This type of work can be done by residents,” he declared.
José Pereira Coutinho also insisted that there is a lack of interpreters and translators, stressing that there are two official languages in Macau.
But while some lawmakers voice their concerns on the import of foreign labor, others stress that there’s still a lack of human resources in Macau.
Lau Veng Seng, for instance, said that in the construction sector “there’s a lack of human resources and few young people opt for this area. In the near future, I find it difficult to see us having enough locals to occupy positions [in the construction sector],” he said. In his opinion, there is a need to provide further training courses.
Lawmaker Kou Hoi In also stated that there is a lack of human resources in a few sectors and that, for instance, the government should consider the recruitment of foreigners to occupy drivers’ posts.
“There is a great imbalance between the demand and the supply when it comes to professional drivers,” he said. Emphasizing that the government still needs to protect residents and their jobs, Kou Hoi In also declared that there is a need to “import some foreign drivers”, too.
Addressing the same issue, Tsui Wai Kwan proposed a question: “Does the recruitment of non-residents restrain the career progress of locals?” In his opinion, the increase in the number of foreign workers has actually contributed to the rise of the GDP.
“It does not seem fair [to create] a law preventing foreigners from being recruited for certain jobs. The government has already guaranteed that croupier posts are only for residents, it seems enough,” he concluded.
Lawmakers have also raised questions on the diversification of the economy and regarding the need to further support small and medium-sized enterprises. Francis Tam reassured that his cabinet is committed to work on both.
The Secretary insisted that Macau plays an important role as a platform between China and the Portuguese-Speaking countries. Francis Tam stated that the government already has instructions to accelerate the creation of the recently announced strategic business centers – to be established in the context of Forum Macau.
He believes that SMEs will also benefit from these centers, which will be created to provide commercial and food products distribution services, as well as work in the convention and exhibition sector.

Copyright@Macau Daily Times