Only 36.5 percent of Macao's interviewed manufacturers in the second quarter of 2010 were optimistic about Macao's export in the coming six months, according to the latest results of the official survey released on Thursday by the city's Economic Services Bureau.

Among these optimistic manufacturers, respectively 4.1 percent and 32.4 percent said the export will "significantly increase" and "slightly increase", the survey showed.

Meanwhile, some 26.1 percent of the interviewed manufacturers deemed that the export will slow down in the coming six months, an increase of 2.7 percentage points over the previous quarter, and 37.1 percent said it will be stalled.

The survey also indicated that 77.8 percent and 77.6 percent of the interviewed manufacturers respectively said they faced the challenge of surging prices of materials and increasing international competitions in the second quarter.

In addition, some 40.9 percent, 33.1 percent and 38.2 percent of the manufacturers respectively said they were affected by the problems of the lack of orders, worker shortage and increasing wages, according to the survey.