Your quick guide on talent and labor compliance norms in Macau
Capital
Macau
Currency
Macanese Pataca
Languages
Cantonese, Portuguese, Mandarin, English, Macanese Portuguese
Payroll Frequency
Monthly
GDP per Capita
$90,927
Employer Tax
MOP 60
Talent Overview
Macau SAR (Special Administrative Region) is one of the most open territories since it was handed over to China during the 90’s. Once a Portuguese colony, it now boasts the title “Las Vegas of Asia”. It is the hub for a significant number of casinos in Asia and focuses its development on the gaming, services, and tourism industries. It also has one of the most robust financial systems in Asia despite the Asian financial crisis in 1997-98.
Major economic hubs:
Macau
Skills in demand:
Information And Communications Technology Professionals, Gaming Industry Professionals (Casino), Marketing Professionals, Tourism Professionals
Local Universities
The top local universities in Macau are as follows:
Local: 1
World: 1478
Local: 2
World: 2371
Local: 3
World: 3527
Local: 4
World: 5878
Local: 5
World: 7169
Salary Data
| Job Title | Average Monthly Salary (MOP) | Average Monthly Salary (USD) |
| Chief Information Officer | 11,300 | 1,397 |
| Project Manager | 9,570 | 1,183 |
| Web Security Manager | 10,200 | 1,261 |
| Chief IT Security Officer | 10,300 | 1,273 |
| Technical Project Manager | 9,890 | 1,222 |
| IT Sales Manager | 9,760 | 1,206 |
| Infrastructure Manager | 10,800 | 1,335 |
Talent Sourcing Tips
Job Island, Ecity Works, macauHR
144,900
Hiring employees in Macau is fairly straightforward when you have a strong grasp on its employment laws, benefits, payroll, and tax systems. You can strengthen your knowledge with the information below to hire and onboard talents in Macau successfully.
Employment contracts in Macau are not required in writing. However, when hiring employees with fixed-term contracts, variable labor contracts, and non-resident worker contracts; and employing minors, a written contract is required. In practice, written employment contracts are given by the employers in Macau. The language used for written contracts can be either English, Cantonese, or Portuguese.
| Date | Name | Type |
| 1 Jan | New Year’s Day | Obligatory Holiday |
| 9 Feb | Lunar New Year Eve | Half Day for Public Employees |
| 10 Feb | Lunar New Year (First Day) | Obligatory Holiday |
| 11 Feb | Lunar New Year (Second Day) | Obligatory Holiday |
| 12 Feb | Lunar New Year (Third Day) | Obligatory Holiday |
| 13 Feb | Lunar New Year Holiday | Public Employees |
| 14 Feb | Lunar New Year Holiday | Public Employees |
| 29 Mar | Good Friday | Public Holiday |
| 30 Mar | Holy Saturday | Public Holiday |
| 1 Apr | Holy Saturday Holiday | Public Employees |
| 4 Apr | Cheng Ming Festival | Obligatory Holiday |
| 1 May | Labor Day / May Day | Obligatory Holiday |
| 15 May | Buddha’s Birthday | Public Holiday |
| 10 Jun | Dragon Boat Festival | Public Holiday |
| 18 Sep | Day after the Mid-Autumn-Festival | Obligatory Holiday |
| 1 Oct | National Day of the People’s Republic of China | Obligatory Holiday |
| 2 Oct | Day after PRC National Day | Public Holiday |
| 11 Oct | Chong Yeung Festival (Festival of Ancestors) | Obligatory Holiday |
| 2 Nov | All Soul’s Day | Public Holiday |
| 4 Nov | All Soul’s Day Holiday | Public Employees |
| 8 Dec | Feast of the Immaculate Conception | Public Holiday |
| 9 Dec | Feast of the Immaculate Conception Holiday | Public Employees |
| 20 Dec | Macau S.A.R. Establishment Day | Obligatory Holiday |
| 21 Dec | Winter Solstice | Public Holiday |
| 23 Dec | Winter Solstice Holiday | Public Employees |
| 24 Dec | Christmas Eve | Public Holiday |
| 25 Dec | Christmas Day | Public Holiday |
| 31 Dec | New Year’s Eve Afternoon | Half Day for Public Employees |
| Type of leave | Time period | Mandatory |
| Annual leave/Earned Leave | 7 days | Yes |
| Sick Leave | 14 days | Yes |
| Maternity Leave | 16 weeks | Yes |
Payroll
Payroll Cycle
Wages in Macau is paid monthly.
Minimum Wage
The national minimum wage for Macau is MOP6,656.00 per month.
Overtime Pay
Overtime hours should not exceed 48 hours a week. A worker will be compensated with an increase of 50% when determined by the employer prior to the engagement. In other cases, it would be 20%.
Bonus
The 13th-month pay is not mandatory in Macau unless it’s stipulated in the contract.
There are different types of pensions and allowances in the Social Security Benefits in Macau. These are all based on the contributions going into the Social Security Fund by the employers.
| Pensions | |
| Old Age Pension | |
| Disability Pension |
| Allowances |
| Unemployment Allowance |
| Sickness Allowance |
| Birth Allowance |
| Marriage Allowance |
| Funeral Allowance |
Taxes
| Category | Amount payable per month |
| Social Security Fund | MOP 60 |
| Category | Amount payable per month |
| Social Security Fund | MOP 30 |
Income tax is levied at a progressive rate on all annual income as follows:
| Income (MOP) | Marginal Cumulative Tax Liability (MOP) | Tax rate | |
| 0 to 144,000 | 0 | 0 | |
| 144,000 to 164,000 | 1,400 | 7 | |
| 164,000 to 184,000 | 3,000 | 8 | |
| 184,000 to 224,000 | 6,600 | 9 | |
| 224,000 to 304,000 | 14,600 | 10 | |
| 304,000 to 424,000 | 27,800 | 11 | |
| Above 424,000 | – | 12 | |
There is no VAT rate in Macau.
Offboarding & Termination
An employment contract can be terminated with just cause, the company is closing down or the ending of the contract agreement. The notice period comes to an agreement between the employee and employer.
The notice period in Macau depends on the contract between the employee and employer. However, the employee’s notice must not exceed the stated period given by the employer. In the event when the notice period is not stated in the contract it shall be:
Severance pay is only given if the contract is ended by the employer and was done without a just cause. The compensation is explained in the table below.
| Length of Service | Compensation (in days) |
| Probationary period up to 1 year | 7 |
| > 1 year up to 3 years | 10 |
| > 3 years up to 5 years | 13 |
| > 5 years up to 7 years | 15 |
| > 7 years up to 8 years | 16 |
| > 8 years up to 9 years | 17 |
| > 9 years up to 10 years | 18 |
| > 10 years | 20 |
Visa and Immigration
Getting a Business Visa for Macau is easy as you can see below. Upon the submission of your application, it’ll take 10 working days to process.
| General Requirements | ||
| Visa Application Form | ||
| Copy of Passport or travel document with the used Visa pages | ||
| Financial certificate or bank statement | ||
| Employment Certificate | ||
| Hotel Reservation or Address to stay | ||
| Certificate of the Trip of Purpose | ||
| Employment | Employment permit from the department concerned | |
| Foreign Labor Dependence | Certificate of Residence Permit from the department concerned | |
| Business | Certificate to Macau SAR for business
And an Invitation from the company based in Macau SAR |
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