The Macao police nabbed 317 illegal laborers in 2006, an increase of 17 percent over 2005, according to official statistics issued Wednesday.

The figures from the Labor Affairs Bureau showed that some 342 cases of illegal labor have been transferred to the Public Prosecutions.

The recent boom of the region's gaming business also generated the local construction industry, which led to the rise of illegal labor.

The employment of illegal workers is a crime that incurs hefty fines and imprisonment in case of repeat offenders. Illegal employed workers are customarily ordered to leave Macao.

(Xinhua News Agency January 17, 2007)