The number of Chinese mainlanders working in Macao as imported laborers stood at 37,357 in 2006, representing 57.7 percent of the region's imported workers, according to official statistics issued Thursday.

The figures from the Labor Affairs Bureau showed that Hong Kong residents ranked second on Macao's imported labor list, accounting for 18.8 percent of the imported labor forces.

Other major labor sources of the region covered the Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia, the figures showed.

Macao has a population of 500,800 and a local labor force of around 230,000.

(Xinhua News Agency February 9, 2007)