By Jekskrim Fu

According to a statement of anti-illegal workers operation from the Public Security Police (PSP) and the Labor Affairs Bureau (DSAL) in August, a total of 42 illegal workers were discovered in a total of 467 locations.

Over the years, Macao has been developing rapidly after the handover to China and the opening up of casino concessions. It thus attracted hundreds of thousands of people who are from Hong Kong, mainland China, even from Southeast Asia to work here. It makes things right if the government imports foreign workers. But nowadays, for the tension of labor shortage and the large amount of constructions in Macao, the problems of hiring illegal workers increase.

The first reason for hiring illegal workers is the demand for workers and a shortage in the local labor force. Hiring illegal workers happens in different working locations, especially in construction sites, commercial units and factories.

The second reason is the low cost. In the perspective of employers, they would like to hire cheap labor in order to maximize profits. That is why many people are drawn to Macao for jobs, and some employers have taken advantage of the unauthorized labor force as a source of cheap labor supply.

Xue, a visitor from Shanxi province in the mainland, said, “I draw my luck to see if I can find a job here, and make some money before going back to my place in a couple days."

Tinh, a visitor from Vietnam, said, “I don’t have a work permit, my friend offered me a job here. So I stayed."

Mr. Wong, a boss of restaurant, said, “I just called my maid to clean the floor and wash the dishes in my restaurant. You don’t have to worry. No one will ever know."

As the situation has become serious, the government revised the law of employment. According to the new labor law (Decreto-Lei n. 50/85M), the penalties are imposed on employers and employees who violate the labor laws. Any employer hiring people who do not have official documents, may face imprisonment up to two years maximum. As for illegal immigrants, they would be banished from Macao and prohibited from entering Macao. Problems of illegal workers may also involve violations of several other laws, such as illegal entry, falsification of documents and so on.

All in all, for employers, the advice is that you should maintain a healthy work environment. It is not worthy running the risk. Hiring illegal workers would make you lose more than gain. Be a smart employer.