The number of people employed in the hotel industry in Macau fell by some 3 percent yearly in the first quarter, according to official statistics.
Some 46,283 people were employed in the sector during the quarter, of which 45,801 are full-time employees.
More men are employed in the sector than women, at 25,786 men and 20,015 women.
The drop in overall employment comes despite an increase in pay – up 3.7 percent yearly, with the average employee making MOP19,960 ($2,475) per month. The figure rises sharply for residents – who make MOP23,460 ($2,909) per month – up 1.6 percent yearly, while non-residents make MOP15,370 ($1,906) – up 4.3 percent.
Despite the overall salary, those in housekeeping are averaging just MOP11,280 ($1,400) per month – which is a 14.2 percent increase from last year.
The majority of those employed in hotels – at 92.7 percent, work in establishments which employ over 200 people.
Job vacancies in the sector increased by 4.3 percentage points, to 5.4 percent – or 2,611 people in the quarter, while the turnover rate was at 5 percent during the quarter and the recruitment rate was 9.7 percent.
