The number of non-resident workers employed by the six casino concessionaires in Macau has decreased by 32.6% since 2019 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The information was provided by the Deputy Director of the Macau Bureau of Labor Affairs (DSAL) by Jeon Woo Chan earlier this month and released this week in response to a written question from fellow legislator Lei Chan Woo.
According to DSAL, as of December 31, 2021, in concessionaires and other hotels The casino employed 23,676 non-resident workers, also known as blue card holders, up from 35,110 in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 11,434 out-of-town workers have left during this time.
Priority of local employees is mentioned in the Macau gambling law with recent amendments to the law, the Legislative Assembly now puts additional emphasis on encouraging the advancement of locals over foreigners .
DSAL said it will strive to “ensure priority and continued employment of local employees” and “review labor market conditions in a timely manner to manage the number of non-local employees.”
Regarding future employment opportunities in the Macau IR sector, DSAL stated:
“If there are suitable or sufficient local staff for the relevant positions, the application of non-local employees with the relevant professions will not be approved, or the company will be required to arrange for the relevant foreign employees to leave field. The number of non-local employees will be [reduced] and local workers will be given priority in employment.”
Source: Inside Asian Gaming