Macau’s gaming industry salary increases have slowed to roughly 2 percent this year, down from 2.5 percent in 2023 and 2024, according to human resources analysis by MSS Recruitment and hello-jobs.com.

The slowdown accompanies a shift toward more cautious compensation strategies as the territory’s post-pandemic economic recovery enters a more normalized phase.

This easing in pay growth among casino operators mirrors broader labor market trends in Macau. The latest MSS Recruitment salary survey, which covers the overall job market in the territory, shows that the average salary increase declined from 2.98 percent in 2023 to 2.72 percent in 2024, and further to 2.23 percent this year.

“This trend points to a cautious and normalized economic environment in Macau. While major industries have recovered, the pace of growth has stabilized,” Tu Jiji, Executive Director of MSS Recruitment and hello-jobs.com, told AGB. “Companies are balancing operational recovery with controlled expenditure, resulting in restrained growth and a focus on maintaining rather than expanding.”

Gaming operators adopt a measured compensation approach

Recent announcements from Macau’s six gaming concessionaires reveal a relatively uniform approach to 2026 salary adjustments, with most operators implementing increases ranging from 2 percent to 6.2 percent for eligible employees. However, the higher percentage figures largely reflect structural calculation methods rather than exceptional generosity.

Speaking to AGB, Tu explained that the apparent disparity between gaming sector raises and the market average of 2.23 percent is less pronounced than it appears. “The salary increase for majority positions in the casinos is actually quite close to the overall market average of 2.23 percent from our survey, with variance falling within a normal range,” she said.

The notably higher figure of 6.2 percent stems from Macau casinos’ distinctive wage adjustment methodology. Operators typically apply fixed-amount increases for positions below certain salary thresholds—such as a flat MOP500 ($62) monthly raise for employees earning below MOP16,000 ($1,990) per month. This mechanism disproportionately benefits lower-paid frontline workers, for whom the fixed increment represents a larger percentage of their base salary, thereby elevating the overall reported increase range.

All six operators—Sands China, MGM China, Galaxy Entertainment Group, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, Wynn Macau, and SJM—have adopted similar structures for their 2026 adjustments, with the MOP500 ($62) flat increase for lower earners and 2 percent raises for those above the MOP16,000 ($1,990) threshold. These increases, affecting between 97 and 99 percent of each operator’s workforce, will take effect between March and April 2026.

Strategic shift toward variable compensation

The moderation in base salary growth coincides with operators’ continued emphasis on discretionary bonuses as a retention mechanism. All the concessionaires have announced or paid one-month salary bonuses to eligible employees, a practice that allows companies to reward staff while managing long-term fixed cost commitments.

“Employers are adopting a measured approach to reward, opting for steady bonuses to retain talent, while scaling back on base salary increases to manage long-term fixed cost.”

_{Jiji Tu}

Tu emphasized that compensation strategies remain fundamentally market-driven rather than predetermined by company policy. “It’s external factors—like broader economic conditions, employment market, talent competition landscape—that ultimately determine compensation strategies,” she told AGB, declining to comment specifically on whether gaming operators are deliberately replacing fixed labor costs with variable expenses.

The human resources executive also refrained from identifying specific pressure points in gaming operators’ manpower cost structures or commenting on whether concessionaires are increasingly pursuing internal redeployment over headcount expansion. However, she noted that efficiency optimization remains a universal business imperative. “In daily operations, any company will actively seek ways to enhance efficiency when conditions allow. This is an inevitable choice for sustainable business development and is not directly linked to the industry it belongs to,” Tu said.

The convergence of salary increase rates between gaming and non-gaming sectors, combined with the industry’s adoption of fixed-amount raises for lower-paid positions and stable bonus payments, suggests Macau’s labor market has transitioned from recovery mode to a more sustainable equilibrium, where compensation growth aligns with broader economic realities rather than pandemic-era volatility.