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★ The Job-Hopping Problem
As for job-hopping... I mostly see this with Indonesian and Philippine workers. I once got to know an Indonesian employment agency owner, which taught me a lot about the issues with Indonesian foreign workers. Indonesia has no consulate in Macau (side note: neither does Myanmar), so they mostly enter on tourist visas rather than through proper foreign worker channels. Furthermore, Indonesia has controls on citizens going abroad, so the Indonesians you meet in Macau have usually finished or broken contracts in Hong Kong and then come directly to Macau on tourist visas to work.
Philippine ready-available workers also job-hop frequently. They typically work in SMEs and hotels. Some work as foreign workers because their tourist visa is about to expire — they take any employer to get a Blue Card, and then quit after a few days, with someone else paying for their flight home.
★ The Myanmar Situation
Some people ask: would it be better to hire ready-available Myanmar workers?
It really depends. As mentioned above, Myanmar has no consulate in Macau, and they mostly enter on tourist visas rather than through proper foreign worker channels. Of course, some employers are willing to hire them. The fact is, they make up a very small proportion of Macau's foreign workforce — at most one or two thousand — with little annual growth. This is the case not only in Macau but also in Hong Kong. Why?
Because most of them are very young, and many enter on tourist visas. The passport says 25, but the real age may be just 16. I'm not saying they're bad — when I was 16, I was clueless too. Could a 16-year-old take care of a newborn baby? Or support an entire family?
Myanmar workers are generally young and inexperienced, requiring more training and guidance, and a longer adjustment period. Their only advantage over other nationalities is... they're readily available for live-in arrangements. But employers need to understand and accept that even after six months, they'll still seem like new workers.
Many people ask me: why are there so few Myanmar workers aged 30-45 in Macau's employment centres and SMEs? I have seen slightly older ones, but most Myanmar workers over 35 may have physical or health conditions that make demanding physical work difficult, so we generally match them carefully to each family's needs.
★ Conclusion
After three articles of analysis, I believe everyone now has a deeper understanding of overseas and ready-available foreign workers. My conclusion is simple:
- Overseas workers: Legal, honest, highly obedient. Although the visa process takes longer, they are the most stable and reliable.
- Ready-available workers: Fast, allows trial work, but high risk, many problems, and not through proper foreign worker channels.
As a licensed employment agency, I strongly recommend going through proper channels to hire overseas workers. While the process is more involved and takes longer, in the long run, it's absolutely worth it. If you have any questions about foreign worker applications, feel free to WhatsApp us.
Thank you all for reading this series! I hope it helps you better understand Macau's foreign labour situation.