Subsidy for unemployed workers participating in training

Eligibility requirements
Unemployed workers in Macao who satisfy the following requirements may apply:
  1. The person has registered for work with the Labour Affairs Bureau;
  2. The person has not refused to accept a job referred by the Labour Affairs Bureau within the last 15 days that meets his/her professional ability;
  3. The person has participated in a vocational training activity pre-approved by Social Security Fund’s Administrative Committee and organized by a public institution, administrative public welfare agency, or by a private training institution whose qualification has been confirmed by the Chief Executive in an Executive Order;
  4. The person has completed all the training activities mentioned above, or has class attendance of at least 80% per month and the absence must be reasonable.
How to apply

The applicant is required to submit the following documents to the Labour Affairs Bureau:

  1.  A completed form for the subsidy;
  2. Labour Affairs Bureau’s declaration certifying that the applicant has registered for work and has not refused to accept a job referred by the Bureau within the last 15 days that is suitable for him/her;
  3. A certificate of attendance issued by the organization hosting the training activity;
  4. A photocopy of the front and back of the applicant’s Macao SAR Resident ID Card (required to present the original for verification);
  5. A photocopy of the applicant’s MOP bank account.
Notes to students
  1. The subsidy will be given out from the month the applicant starts to participate in training activities, and will be deposited in the following month, in the bank account designated by the applicant, but the subsidy will stop in the next month after the applicant no longer satisfies the eligibility for payment.
    • If the applicant is absent, the amount of subsidy for participating in training activities will be calculated based on the class attendance rate.  The subsidy for the month will not be given out if the applicant’s attendance rate is less than 80% of the month’s classes;
    • If the applicant is absent due to illness, he/she can submit, within three working days from the date of recovery, a medical certificate issued by a hospital or health centre in the Macao SAR.  The applicant can receive a subsidy for the absence due to illness if his/her absence does not exceed 20% of the month’s classes;
    • If the reasonable absence due to illness mentioned above exceeds 20% of the month’s classes, the subsidy can be provided for the absence due to illness if the Social Security Fund approves the specific case;
    • As long as it is confirmed and deemed to be a reasonable absence by the employer entity or the Labour Affairs Bureau, the training subsidy for appropriate action taken by the student to get a new job will not be deducted;
    • Applicants are exempted from attending classes on mandatory holidays.
  2. If the applicant engages in paid work during the course, he/she shall apply to the Social Security Fund for course withdrawal, and he/she is required to complete the “Declaration of Course Withdrawal”.
    • After the application for course withdrawal is approved, a subsidy calculated based on the class attendance rate will be given out;
    • If an applicant again satisfies the statutory requirements for applying for vocational training subsidy after engaging in paid work, he/she can go through the required procedures again, and the amount of subsidy that he/she is entitled to receive must be calculated together with the amount that he/she already received during the preceding training period.
    • If there is no rational reason to abandon the training course, the applicant must pay back the money that he/she has received to the Social Security Fund.
    • If the payment is not paid back within the specified period, the Social Security Fund has the right to deduct the amount when paying future benefits.
  3. Unemployment allowance and vocational training subsidy cannot overlap each other.
  4. The unemployed workers registered for work with the Labour Affairs Bureau for longer time are given priority to be admitted to training activities.
  5. Those who are unable to engage in any work, participate in vocational training activities or employment assistance courses due to health reasons shall not be the beneficiaries of the subsidies of this regulation.
Amount of subsidy

  1. The subsidy amount is 80 patacas per day and up to 1,800 patacas per month, which will be given out for the entire training period, and paid up to six months.