Macau’s economy has long been hampered by an overreliance on a single sector. Now, as the city enters a critical phase of economic transformation, how young people can chart their career paths has become a pressing issue for society. Currently, the main challenges for youth employment in Macau stem from an imbalance in job supply and the growing pains caused by economic restructuring. While the government’s “1+4” moderate diversification strategy has paved the way for young people, more concrete industrial development plans are still needed. It is essential to prioritize the employment of Macau residents and clearly define the city’s future economic direction in order to create more quality employment opportunities.
Macau’s labor market faces a dual challenge: declining employment opportunities for local residents and a disproportionately high proportion of imported workers. According to DSAL data, in May 2025, there were 31,955 non-resident workers employed in the hotel sector—approximately 17.3% of all imported labor in Macau, representing an increase of 2,664 over the previous year. Promoting “imported labor substitution” is an effective short-term measure to alleviate pressure on employment. The government should encourage major gaming operators to assume their social responsibilities and lead a gradual process of replacing positions currently occupied by imported—but local—workers with Macau residents, thus revitalizing the core dynamism of the local economy. In parallel, the government could make the effectiveness of labor localization a key criterion for renewing gaming licenses, using policy guidance and business cooperation to truly protect the labor rights of local residents.
Looking ahead, Macau should cultivate a diversified industrial base to create professional opportunities that align with the academic backgrounds of young people. Many students choose their majors according to the “1+4” strategy, only to find few job opportunities in Macau after graduation. This leads to brain drain or forces them to accept jobs unrelated to their studies. According to the DSEC, in 2019, gaming revenues accounted for a staggering 50.9% of GDP, highlighting the economy’s structural imbalance. To put this in perspective, each of the 23 largest companies on the list of China’s Top 500 Private Enterprises in 2024 had annual revenues exceeding total gaming revenues in 2019. These figures make it clear that if Macau can attract or develop leading companies with international competitiveness, it would not only create a core competitive advantage but also drive the growth of upstream and downstream value chains, generating a large number of high-quality jobs, replacing—or even surpassing—the economic role of the traditional gaming industry.
It is recommended that the Macao SAR government optimize the “1+4” strategy by defining clear, phased goals with implementation paths, aiming to introduce benchmark companies aligned with Macao’s development direction, and strengthening collaboration between industry and academia to more accurately align talent supply with demand. Support measures for related sectors should be improved to drive economic transformation and modernization, thus creating more quality jobs for local residents.
Macao’s economic transformation requires concerted efforts from both the government and businesses to truly protect local employment and focus on developing highly competitive core industries—enabling Macao to establish a unique competitive advantage in regional cooperation.
Macau United Citizens Association
