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The Committee notes with interest the detailed information provided by the Government in its report covering the period ending in May 2009, in reply to the 2008 direct request.

Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. Employment trends. The Government reports that during the first half of 2008, the net value in gross domestic product grew at 32.5 per cent and 22.4 per cent in the first and second quarters, respectively. The Committee notes that the second half of 2008 registered the first negative growth since 2003 and that, by the first quarter of 2009, the negative growth in net value worsened to -12.9 per cent. According to the Statistics and Census Bureau, the unemployment rates in 2007 and 2008 were 3.1 per cent and 3 per cent, respectively, but, in the first quarter of 2009, unemployment increased to 3.8 per cent (12,800 unemployed workers). Underemployment also grew from 3,200 workers in 2007 to 5,900 in 2009. The Committee notes that the Government is continuing to implement measures to promote economic development and to preserve employment. These measures include promoting the development of the exhibition–conference industry and treating it as one of the priority activities in achieving economic diversification. With positive impact of the Exhibition–Conference industry on the economy, the Government expects sectors such as aviation, transportation, hotels, retail, restaurants and construction to benefit from its development and to create further job opportunities. The Committee also notes that to alleviate the construction industries unemployment problem, the Public Works Secretariat launched around 93 large, medium and small public projects, expecting to create 9,000 job opportunities at the end of 2008. The Committee invites the Government to include in its next report information on the impact of the measures mentioned to generate employment.

Measures taken in response to the global crisis. The Committee notes the effects of the economic recession and the measures taken by the Government to tackle the economic downturn in order to maintain a low rate of unemployment while at the same time, maintaining economic stability. The Committee notes that due to the increase of unemployment since the second half of 2008, especially in the construction industry, the Government has begun to re-examine the situation of non-resident workers and has consequently adopted control measures. The Committee also notes that a bill on the principles governing the recruitment of non-resident employees has been submitted to the Legislative Assembly for examination. The Committee notes that in an attempt to alleviate unemployment pressure, in June 2009, the Government launched in joint action with the Macao Federation of Trade Unions, the On-the-job Training and Recruitment Programme which was estimated to create 7,500 job opportunities. The Committee invites the Government to provide in its next report information on the participation of the social partners in the design and implementation of an active employment policy to overcome the negative effects of the crisis. It also asks the Government to include information on the progress made to adopt regulations governing the recruitment of non-resident workers.

Vulnerable groups of workers. Regarding employment promotion of vulnerable groups, the Labour Affairs Bureau continues to improve its “Talent” services. In 2007, the talent team completed job applications for 150 workers with disabilities and succeeded in placing 47 applicants in the services sector. The Committee notes that in 2006, the Social Welfare Bureau launched the Positive Life Programme to enrol beneficiaries of the Social Welfare Bureau subsidies who did not possess all the conditions necessary for employment. This was done so that the participants would increase their working skills, foster a more positive prospect for life, become familiarized with the environment of work and thus improve their conditions of employment in preparation for eventual employment. In its report on Convention No. 88, received in October 2010, the Government supplied further information on the Labour Affairs Bureau which takes joint “Equality, Disabled or Not” activities with relevant public departments and private rehabilitation centres that provide personalized employment services to the mentally disabled, recovered mental patients, physically disabled, visually impaired, hard of hearing and chronically ill, while at the same time endeavouring to encourage employers to recruit persons with disabilities for appropriate work. The Committee invites the Government to provide information on the impact of the measures taken in order to promote productive employment for vulnerable groups of workers.

Atypical forms of employment. In reply to previous comments, the Government indicates that section 3 of the Labour Relations Ordinance, which came into force in January 2009, stipulates that part-time work shall be governed by a special regulation that will provide flexible and appropriate provisions on the subject. The Committee invites the Government to provide information in its next report on the progress made in the adoption of the special regulation on part-time work and its impact in terms of employment creation.

Promoting small and medium-sized enterprises. The Committee notes that in 2008, a Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Centre (SMEC) was created within the Macao Business Support Centre (MBSC) to develop overseas and local markets for the SMEs, providing them with improved one-stop services and assisting them to strengthen their overall competitiveness to promote business opportunities created by the service industry and the exhibition–conference industry. Assistance funds and interest-free assistance funds have been extended to help SMEs to meet the hardships caused by the changing environment and operational difficulties. The Committee invites the Government to continue to include information on efforts made to create an environment conducive to the creation, development and sustainability of SMEs.

Vocational training and education policies. The Government indicates that workers are demanding increased vocational training due to their increased awareness of the need for continuous upgrading and lifelong learning to achieve sustainable employment and higher remuneration levels. The Committee notes that the Vocational Training Department of the Labour Affairs Bureau offered 207 courses in 2007, an increase of 111.2 per cent over 2006, for a total enrolment of 5,793 participants, an increase of 108.5 per cent over 2006. It also notes that the Labour Affairs Bureau will set up curricula and incentive programmes to encourage training and pilot projects for more flexible forms of training, such as online training. The Committee notes the detailed information on the implementation of the 2006 and 2007 policy guidelines. The Committee invites the Government to provide information on how training and education policies are coordinated with the employment policy.