Gaming jobs increase again in Macau

This drop was mostly felt in the hotel and restaurant business. On the contrary, both the construction sector and gaming industry saw an increase in the number of workers last month. In the first quarter of 2011 the casino sector lost around 100 workers, putting an end to five quarters of consecutive employment growth. Between the third quarter of 2009 and the end of December 2020, the industry hired a further 3,900 staff.

In March 64,300 people – 19.7 % of the total employed population – were working in the gaming sector. This figure increased in April and is likely to surge this month as well with the opening of Galaxy Macau two weeks ago. The Cotai resort was launched with only 450 gaming tables but, according to operator Galaxy Entertainment Group, it has a capacity for 600.

Last month 71.2 % of the active population (325,400) was working, down by 0.3 points from March.  Mostly women left the workforce, as female labour rates dropped 0.5 points to 65.9 %.

The number of unemployed held stable at 8,900 but the proportion of fresh labour force entrants decreased. In April 4.2 % of all unemployed were searching for their first job, down by 2.3 points from the previous month. The underemployed rate – percentage of people working in jobs below their qualifications or who can only find part-time work – stood at 1.4 %, unchanged from March.