Macau
Whether you want to hire one person or a whole team, Remote's guide to hiring employees and contractors in Macau can help you get started. Note that Remote's employer of record services are not yet live in Macau.
- Capital city
Macau
- Currency
Macanese pataca (MOP$, MOP)
- Languages
Chinese and Portuguese
- Population size
686,607
Facts & Stats
- Capital city
Macau
- Currency
Macanese pataca (MOP$, MOP)
- Languages
Chinese and Portuguese
- Population size
686,607
- Ease of doing business
N/A
- Cost of living index
N/A
- Payroll frequency
N/A
- VAT - standard rate
18%
- GDP - real growth rate
N/A
Macau is a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China; the tiny island of 32.2 KM2 was formerly a Portuguese colony until it was ceded back to China in 1999
Macau has grown into a major resort city known for its world-famous casinos & a gambling industry that’s seven times the size of Las Vegas —it’s even know as the Las Vegas of the East
For a small city of just under 700,000, Macau has the fourth-highest life expectancy in the world, and equally stellar performance in human development, GDP per capita figures, adult literacy, social welfare, and free healthcare
Famous for its Portuguese colonial architecture, luxury hotels and resorts, fabulous egg tarts, and the Venetian Monaco —the world’s largest casino resort
Roughly 50% of Macau’s revenues comes from gambling tourism & the country has seen dramatic economic tremors such as in 2015 when the Mainland government commenced a crackdown on corruption and in 2020 during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Macau attracts the crème de la crème of expats, digital nomads, and globe trotters who’re experienced in working remotely for brands and businesses based around the globe.
Grow your team in Macau with Remote
Note that we are busy building our own entity in Macau to provide you with the best possible employment solutions for your employees, but our employer of record service is not yet live in this country.
To employ in Macau, companies must own a local legal entity in the country or work with a global employment solution. Developing the processes required to manage payroll, benefits, taxes, and onboarding in countries like Macau can get complicated fast, especially without localized expertise.
If you’re looking to start hiring in a country like this, partnering with a global employment solution like Remote makes it easy for your company to employ workers quickly, cost-effectively, and in full compliance with all local legislation.
In the countries where we do offer our EOR services, Remote takes on the responsibility and legal risks of international employment so you can focus on hiring great talent and growing your business.
Risks of misclassification
Macau, like many other countries, treats self-employed individuals or contractors and full-time employees differently. Misclassification of contractors in Macau may lead to fines and penalties for the offending company.
Employing in Macau
Workers’ rights in Macau are spelled out in several laws, such as:
The Basic Law of the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China
The Commercial Code, i.e. Law No. 6/2000 of April 27
The Civil Code of Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China
— all of which guarantee equal pay for equal work, safe working environements, and protections against discrimination based on age, gender, disability, religion, and race.
Common questions that could come up during the hiring process include the minimum wage, overtime rates, and guaranteed paid time off.
Minimum Wage
Macau’s minimum wage is fixed at:
MOP 6656 ($824) per month for monthly employees
MOP 1,536 ($190) per week for weekly employees
MOP 256 ($31.69) per day for daily employees, and
MOP 32 ($3.96) per hour for hourly employees
Competitive benefits package in Macau
At Remote, we’re obsessed with helping you craft the best possible employee experience for your team. We are leading the way in practicing “fair equity”, which means making sure employees everywhere have access to both the required and supplemental benefits they need to thrive (and that will allow you to attract the best local talent).
We are still busy building our own entity in Macau, but our benefits packages for all countries are tailored to fulfill the local needs of your employees. Typically, our packages contain some or all of the following benefits:
Life and Disability Insurance
Vision Insurance
Mental Health Support
Pension or 401(K)
Dental Insurance
Health Insurance
Taxes in Macau
Learn how employment taxes and statutory fees affect your payroll and your employees’ paychecks in Macau.
MOP 60: Social Security (i.e. $7.4) payable per month by companies hiring residents
Types of Leave
Macanese employees are entitled to six days of paid leave per year, after their first year working for an employer.
If an employee has been working for more than three months but less than a year, they will receive half a day of leave per month worked up to the moment they take their first leave.
Employment termination
Termination process
Macanese law stipulates that an employer can dismiss a worker at will as long as they’re paid any applicable severance benefits.
Notice period
If there’s no notice period stated in the employment contract, an employee can quit with seven days’ notice while an employer can dismiss a worker with 15 days’ notice. If the contract is ended for just cause, there’s no requirement to provide any prior notice.
Severance pay
Workers are entitled to severance benefits if they’re dismissed without cause. Severance payments are calculated based on how long the worker has been employed, as shown below:
Up to one year - 7 days
One to three years - 10 days
Three to five years - 13 days
Five to seven years - 15 days
Seven to eight years - 16 days
Eight to nine years - 17 days
Nine to ten years - 18 days
More than ten years - 20 days
Probation periods
Limited to 30 days for temporary contracts and 90 days for indefinite contracts.