MACAO, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- The government of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) has provided allowances to local employers who hire young people aged below 26 and with no working experience, the Macao Daily Times reported on Friday, quoting the SAR's labor chief as saying.

    The authorities attached importance to issues concerning young people employment and have used different channels to provide teenagers with up-to-date employment information, the daily quoted the SAR's Labour Affairs Bureau Director Shuen Ka Hung as saying.

    According to Shuen, the bureau not only set up "recruitment and employment matching" on the Internet, but also held career talks so as to help improve local young people's understanding of Macao's employment market.

    Between July and September this year, the number of local unemployed decreased by 400 over the preceding period of June to August to 12,000, with 17.6 percent being fresh labor force entrants searching for the first job, according to the figures from the city's Statistics and Census Service.

    In addition, the SAR government also provided political, technical and information assistance to youth via various government departments such as the Macao Productivity and Technology Transfer Centre, Macao Economic Services, Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute and its bureau.