Statistics

Macao manufacturers affected by material price hike

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-06-25 09:09

MACAO, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Some 80.7 percent of the interviewed Macao manufacturers were affected by the surging prices of materials in the first quarter of 2010, according to the results of latest official survey released on Thursday by the Economic Services Bureau of Macao.

Aside from the price of materials, 58.4 percent of the interviewed manufacturers said they also faced the challenge of increasing international competitions in the first quarter, while 35.3 percent and 26.6 percent respectively said they were affected by the problems of the lack of orders and increasing wages, according to the survey.

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In terms of labor demand, 51.8 percent of the interviewed manufacturers said they suffered from shortage of workers, compared with 39.7 percent of the same period of last year, of which garment manufacturers were severely affected.

However, the survey, conducted in the first quarter of this year, also indicated that some 37.6 percent of the interviewed local manufacturers were optimistic about Macao's export in the coming six months, while 38.7 percent deemed it will be stalled.

As for the export market, local manufacturers generally deemed that exports to the European Union, the United States and Chinese mainland were relatively better than those of Australia and other European nations, according to the survey.