Have you ever been forced to close your business in Macau?
I've been living in Macau for nearly two decades and know quite a number of people there. Nowadays I see more and more of my expat friends being driven out of business, mostly by labour crisis and skyrocketing rents of the business premises. Some of them used to be running those little traditional trades and restaurants that once were Macau trademarks. Is there any way to stop this alarming trend, or shall we just keep on lying to ourselves and be content with what we hear about our future?
Leo
As long as there will be people willing to pay the prices are being asked by owners and landlords, there's nothing to do. The big fish eats the small ones and that's something we've been suffering in Macau for quite a while alreaady. Market is market and as Sheldon Adelson said, "if you don't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen". It's sad, but it's true.
DrPoi
Hi DrPoi,
You're right when it comes to market rules.
I am a resident of both HK and Macau, but I consider Macau my home.
The general feel is that the game is not fair. Say, if I were a small fish I wouldn't mind to be eaten by a big fish from the same fish-tank. But what really happens is, the government lets the fishies from the outside swim pretty much as they please, while the local ones have their hands firmly tied-up by their own dear government, waiting to be eaten.
To put it simple, I would receive much more benefits and will actually be able to work and earn from the Day 1, if I enter Macau with my HK ID card, instead of Macau one. As a foreigner and a specialist I will be exempted from whatever labour law or administrative procedures for so-called "occasional" work, which nowadays covers a lion's share of Macau employment. Even if I work permanently, I still can keep it occasional by spending weekends in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong Government even dares to publish a “Guide for Hong Kong People who Plan to Work in Macao” on its official website. Imagine Macau Government doing the same thing about Hong Kong - South China Morning Post would be blowing whistle worldwide the next day that happens.
Well, it is sad
Cheers!
The Big fish eats the small fish, right... but even worse when the small fish simply dies...
It's so sad to see these metal curtains all over the city center in Macau... some pretty pedestrian streets that would be lively anywhere else in the world, with restaurants, coffee shops and bars... are like ghost streets in Macau.
Yes, the game is not fair.
But my question is: is there really anything the Macau government can do to prevent this...
I think it is too easy to blame it all on the casinos.
The government has known for a long time that the casinos would be coming. They must have anticipated some of the consequences and frankly had plenty of time to try to address some of the issues to come.
In France, for example, if you are leasing a property, the landlord cannot triple the rent if you wish to renew the lease. There are restrictions...
The Macau government doesn't seemed to make it their business to protect the same people who have been working hard for the last few decades and made Macau a unique place. They are only looking after the big players and soon, sadly all these small, family-run businesses will all be gone. What I don't understand is how could this happen if Macau has a competent government? The GDP per capita has risen about 60% since 2003 and has overtaken HK. However, the monthly income of unskilled workers hasn't changed much at all while the consumer price index kept rising. With so much in the government coffers due to casinos' taxes, surely they could do something to improve and help the lives of it's own people.
"Be the change you want to see"