(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-09-03 14:18

MACAO - The number of Macao enterprises which have been permitted by the government to employ imported laborers reached 3,228 in the first half of this year, seeing a notable year-on-year rise of 55 percent, according to official statistics issued on Monday.

The figures released by the Labor Affairs Bureau showed that 883 enterprises in the wholesale and retail section have been granted the right to hire overseas laborers, topped among all business sections.

The region has a population of 520,000 and an overall labor force of 300,000.