The findings of a survey about Macau’s childcare services released yesterday show that nearly half of this survey’s respondents expressed a desire for strengthened professional training for childcare workers in the city’s crèches.
The survey was carried out between January and last month by the Macau Federation of Trade Unions (commonly known as Gung Luen in Cantonese), which held a press conference at a Gung Luen service centre in Fai Chi Kei district yesterday to announce the survey’s findings.
The survey collected 1,233 valid questionnaires from local residents aged 18 or above.
According to the press conference, the survey’s findings show that 64 percent of the respondents said that in terms of various aspects of childcare services, they value the affection and sense of responsibility delivered by childcare workers above all else.
The survey’s findings also show that nearly half of the respondents said that they support the government’s proposal to raise the number of days for statutory paid maternity leave in the private sector to 90 days from the current 70 days, so as to ensure a smooth transition towards the period when parents can start sending their babies to a crèche.
Moreover, the survey’s findings show that 55 percent of the respondents said that they want a further increase in the amount of the government’s childcare allowance, which currently stands at 18,000 patacas a year.
The survey also asked the respondents how much it costs to take care of their babies. According to its findings, 45.7 percent of the respondents said that it cost them between 3,000 and 6,000 patacas per month to take care of their baby, while 34.2 percent said that it costs them between 6,000 and 9,000 patacas per month.
The findings show that 14.1 percent of the respondents said that it costs them 9,000 patacas or more to take care of their baby, while the remaining six percent said that it costs them 3,000 patacas or less per month.
In addition, the survey’s findings show that 33.7 percent of the respondents said that they were satisfied with the city’s childcare services, while 9.2 percent said that they were very satisfied.
According to the findings, 48.3 percent of the respondents gave the answer “neutral”, i.e., neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, while 7.1 percent and 1.8 percent said that they were dissatisfied and very dissatisfied respectively with the city’s childcare services.
Gung Luen Vice President Ella Lei Cheng I (centre), Leong Meng Ian (right), who heads the federation’s Women’s Committee, and Choi Cheng Tong, the survey’s researcher, address yesterday’s press conference at a Gung Luen service centre in Fai Chi Kei district. Lei is a member of the Legislative Assembly (AL). – Photo: Gung Luen
