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Recruitment trends in Macau gaming industry leveling off: Insider

The hiring pace in Macau’s gaming sector is decelerating as the post-COVID recovery slows down. After an initial surge in hiring following the lifting of pandemic restrictions, the recruitment trend is now shifting towards a more gradual, moderate pace.

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Billy Song, president of the Macau Responsible Gaming Association

In an interview with AGB, Billy Song, president of the Macau Responsible Gaming Association, points out that Macau’s demand for manpower is expected to decrease gradually in the long term. He attributes this shift to several factors, including the employment environment, the implementation of smart gaming tables, and the gaming table cap.

The rapid rebound in Macau’s casino visitation and gaming revenue seen in the initial post-reopening phase has started to level off in recent months. Social media reports indicate that some local job seekers for croupier positions have been rejected due to lack of qualifications.

Under Macau’s legal framework, only local residents are allowed to work as croupiers.

Billy Song observes that, despite the unemployment rate remaining very low, the Macau employment environment has shown weakening momentum. This is evident as local small businesses face challenging circumstances amid consumption outflow. In this context, Song notes that more workers have shifted from non-gaming sectors, increasing the overall manpower supply.

Additionally, he also mentions that the shutdown of satellite casinos during COVID-19 led to an excess supply of croupiers. Currently, operators are still working to mitigate these effects.

Under pressure from the Macau government, gaming operators refrained from large-scale layoffs during COVID, causing some operators to take time to absorb this surplus manpower.

According to previous reports, Macau gaming operator SJM Holdings was left with 2,150 excess staff following the closure of five satellite casinos in 2022. As of 2Q23, this cost the company approximately HK$169 million ($21.6 million) in redundant payroll expenses.

Meanwhile, the salary level for the croupier position is relatively higher than other jobs requiring the same qualifications. In this context, some local workers are seeking out the position.

Based on the survey of manpower needs and wages in the gaming industry from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC), there were 51,771 full-time employees in the gaming sector at the end of the fourth quarter of 2023, a decrease of 0.8 percent year-on-year. Among them, dealers totaled 23,359, down by 1.5 percent year-on-year.

The average salary (excluding irregular remuneration) of full-time employees in the gaming sector in December last year was MOP25,290 ($3,148), up by 6.8 percent year-on-year, while the average earnings of dealers were MOP20,870 ($2,598), up 5.4 percent. This is due mainly to the low base of comparison caused by a relatively large number of employees being placed on unpaid leave in the same month of 2022.

Smart Tables, Casino, Walker Digital Table Systems

Challenges from smart gaming tables

The adoption of innovative technology, specifically smart gaming tables, poses a challenge for employees in Macau’s gaming industry. All six gaming operators have announced plans to implement these advanced tables, signaling a shift towards automation and efficiency.

Billy Song, President of the Macau Responsible Gaming Association, notes that the gaming operators’ goal includes reducing dependency on human labor in the long term. Smart gaming tables are designed to minimize errors and accelerate the betting pace, enhancing operational efficiency and player experience.

According to a previous analysis by investment bank Citigroup, the integration of smart gaming tables could lead to a transformation of job roles within casinos. While these technologies streamline operations and improve security, they may also reduce the demand for traditional dealer roles. Automation of game play and enhanced table management could potentially require fewer human resources per table.

Moreover, alongside the implementation of smart tables, the gaming industry faces regulatory constraints such as the gaming table and slot machine cap. As of the latest data between April and June, the number of gaming tables and slot machines remained at 6,000 and 12,000, respectively.

Viviana Chan
Viviana Chanhttps://agbrief.com/
Viviana Chan is an editor, interpreter, and journalist. With over a decade of experience, she writes in English, Chinese, and Portuguese. Viviana started her career in Macau-based newspapers, where she became passionate about the region's social, financial, and cultural development. Her writing focuses on the economy, emerging industries, gaming development, political affairs, and cross cultural-exchange in the business and cultural domains. She is avid for news and eager to discover and cover stories that generate public relevance.

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