The Macau Metro Monitor, January 31, 2013
MONTHLY BREAKDOWN OF PASSENGER MOVEMENTS Changi Airport Group
Singapore's Changi Airport Group reported 51.2 million passengers in 2012, up 10% YoY. For December, passengers totaled 4,916,197, up 8.6% YoY.
SINGAPORE JOBLESS RATE AT 5-YEAR LOW AMID FOREIGN WORKER CURBS Bloomberg
Singapore’s jobless rate fell to a five-year low last quarter as companies hired more local workers after the government tightened the inflow of foreign labor. The seasonally adjusted jobless rate fell to 1.8% from 1.9% in 3Q, the Ministry of Manpower said in a statement today. The median estimate of nine economists surveyed by Bloomberg News was for 1.9%.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has raised foreign-worker levies and salary thresholds as part of measures to reduce the economy’s reliance on overseas labor after the island’s population jumped by more than 1.1 million since mid-2004. The clampdown has led to manpower shortages and rising job vacancies, damping economic growth as companies seeking to expand faced difficulty in hiring.
JUNKET NUMBERS HIT NEW RECORD Macau Business
Official data shows that the number of VIP gaming promoters operating legally in Macau is the highest ever. There are 235 licensed companies and individuals, up 7.3% YoY. That is an average of seven licensed junket operators per casino.
FEWER MACAU-HONG KONG FERRY TRIPS IN 2012 Macau Business
Passenger ferry trips between Macau and Hong Kong went down by 7% YoY in 2012. The number of ferry trips between Macau and Hong Kong totaled 112,691 last year. On the other hand, passenger ferry trips between Macau and the mainland increased by 9% YoY to 27,264 ferry trips.