Sulu Sou asks for more gov’t help finding jobs for youth

LAWMAKER Sulu Sou has asked the Macau government to help local youth find jobs.

In his interpellation to the local government, Sou posed several questions regarding youth employment. The lawmaker asked whether the Macau SAR government has evaluated the impact of Covid-19 on the youth unemployment rate, as well as the state of Macau’s overall starting salary.

The lawmaker also wants to know the government’s proposed measures to diversify jobs for youth in order to turn the current crisis into an opportunity.

Previously, the local government published the Macau Youth Policy 2012 – 2020, which laid out several prospects for local talent in Macau.

In his interpellation, Sou pointed out that many young people in Macau aspire to enter the public service, or the gaming and tourism sectors. He stated that there are many barriers to local youth entering other industries.

Sou said he wanted to know more about the developments and improvements made to the next of the Macau Youth Policy.

According to employment statistics released by the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC), the rate of local unemployment is on the rise this year. The local unemployment rate is at 3.4%, with a total of 9,700 people unemployed.

Sou pointed out that about 5% of the 9,700 unemployed people are first-time job seekers. Sou also suggested that as much as 90% of the city’s university graduates intend to stay in Macau working in 2020.