As many as 53,000 residents of the Macao Special Administrative Region have joined the social security system of bordering Zhuhai, Guangdong province, as of the end of December, the local social security fund management authority said.

Seventy-three service centers have sprung up across Macao since Zhuhai authorities signed agreements in November 2020 with six organizations to provide comprehensive cross-border social security services for local residents.

"The cross-border social security service, which plays an important role in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, allows more eligible Macao residents to enjoy safeguards when they work or live in Zhuhai," said Zhang Guobin, director of the Zhuhai Social Security Fund Management Center.

The number of Macao residents in Zhuhai who have received pensions on a monthly basis reached 2,793 last year, an increase of 174 percent year-on-year.

To provide more efficient services, the Guangdong provincial human resources and social security authority launched an online platform in early December in Guangzhou, Guangdong, offering comprehensive social security services that include inquiry handling, printing and qualification of plans for Hong Kong and Macao residents.

Since the beginning of 2020, residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan who live, work or study on the mainland are eligible for social security benefits.