Number of non-resident Macau casino workers amounts to 27,140
Non-resident workers represent 26.3 per cent of Macau’s six gaming operators workforce.
Macau.- The Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) has reported that the number of non-resident workers in the city’s gaming industry amounts to 27,140 as of June 2024. That’s 26.3 per cent of their workforce. These figures were released in response to an inquiry from legislator Song Pek Kei, who raised concerns about ensuring local employment within the gaming industry.
Authorities reported that the six gaming operators employed 76,225 local residents, representing 73.7 per cent of their total workforce. Addressing the issue of non-resident employees, the DSAL stated that while certain frontline roles—such as room attendants and waiters—are often harder to fill with local candidates, the bureau assesses applications for non-resident workers based on the availability of local talent.
Song had proposed capping the number of non-resident workers employed by gaming companies, but the DSAL rejected this suggestion, stressing the need for flexibility in workforce management to support Macau’s tourism and leisure sector. The bureau reiterated that applications for non-resident workers would only be approved when no suitable local candidates could be found.
As reported by Macau Business, as of July 2024, the number of non-resident workers in Macau had risen to 182,307. The figure was up 0.7 per cent sequentially and up 8.9 per cent in year-on-year terms, marking the highest rise since August 2020.
According to authorities, this is due to the return of migrant workers after the Covid-19 pandemic. The city lost nearly 45,000 non-resident workers during the Covid-19 years.
See also: Macau gaming industry workforce grows 1.6%
According to the DSAL, as of June 2024, 90.3 per cent of middle and senior management positions in the six gaming operators were occupied by locals, as required by the government’s 85 per cent threshold to promote the advancement of resident employees.
To enhance local employment, the bureau emphasised its partnership with gaming operators to organise a minimum of six job-matching sessions each month.
In the first seven months of 2024, 8,260 residents secured positions at local businesses with the bureau’s support. Among them, 5,990 residents, accounting for 73 per cent of the total, were hired by gaming operators.
Through the collaboration between the DSAL and gaming operators, specialised employment and training programs recruited 439 locals between 2023 and July 2024 in areas such as hotel services, dining, security, entertainment, electromechanical engineering, digital and information technology, and business analysis.
As of July 2024, Macau’s overall unemployment rate was at 1.7 per cent, with the jobless rate for residents at 2.3 per cent.
