Macau officials blamed for job fears

Strong opposition in Macau to plans for non-local students to work in the city after graduation has been attributed to a lack of faith in the government.

Manpower consultants say Macau society is too conservative and afraid of competition while the city suffers from a severe labour shortage.

But lawmaker Au Kam-san - expressing total opposition to the proposal - said the competition would not be fair, with non-local graduates willing to work for lower pay than locals.

"The government does not know what to do with the worsening situation of illegal workers … there has never been a regular review on the quota of foreign workers and the government just keeps on importing them," he said.

Opposition has mounted since late April when Macau chief executive Fernando Chui Sai-on raised the possibility of selecting top non-local students to work in Macau without giving details. Chui responded to criticism by saying non-local graduates would be entitled only to working visas, not residential permits.

Dr Rico Lam Long-wai, head of the University of Macau's management and marketing department, said the response was not surprising as the policy would have far-reaching consequences and people were doubtful if the government could prevent employers from taking advantage of it.