Macau labour group advocates for employee licensing, professional accreditation in gaming industry

A local labor group representing young workers in Macau, the Macao Association of Young Employees in the Gaming Industry, has proposed an employee-licensing or professional certification system for operational tasks within Macau’s casinos. Despite the fact that the idea is thought to be helpful in improving professionalism and service quality, there are issues with the way the rules will be put into effect.

The corporation commissioned the Centre for Gaming and Tourism Studies at Macao Polytechnic University to undertake research in order to find out more about the perspectives of gaming experts regarding certification and licensing. The group’s president, Benjamin Loi, expressed hope that under such a system, the professionalism and caliber of service in the gaming business would both rise.

Of the 519 participants in the July/August study, 66.1 percent stated they desired a professional licensing or certification program for gaming-related operational duties. Even still, over 75% of the remaining people claimed to just have a cursory knowledge of these concepts.

The respondents, who ranged in position from administrative managers to dealers in table games, worked in a variety of industries, including marketing, casino cage, surveillance, and slots.

Although the implementation of an accreditation system would require coordination and agreement from the government, casino operators, and industry people, Mr. Loi highlighted the potential advantages that an accreditation system may offer to the sector’s employees.

As of the third quarter, some 71,000 persons in Macau were working in the casino industry, accounting for 19.2 percent of the city’s entire workforce. The area’s largest employer by sector is Macau. In the third quarter, the average monthly salary for workers in the gaming industry was MOP20,500 (US$2,544), the second-highest of all industrial sectors. During that time, the banking sector had the highest earnings, with a median monthly wage of MOP22,000.

Original story by: GGRAsia