In the fourth quarter, earnings of Macau casino staff surpassed levels seen in 2019

In the fourth quarter of 2023, the number of full-time employees in Macau’s gaming sector decreased by 0.8 percent year-on-year to 51,771, according to the “Survey on Manpower Needs and Wages” published by the city’s Statistics and Census Service on Wednesday. This survey is conducted semi-annually.

However, average earnings for full-time workers, excluding “irregular remuneration,” increased by 6.8 percent compared to the previous year. The average monthly wage for full-time employees in December was MOP25,290 (US$3,139), marking a 6.3 percent rise from the same month a year earlier.

Macau’s casinos have experienced a rebound in business since the beginning of 2023, coinciding with the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau. Average gaming staff earnings for the final quarter of 2023 increased by 2.6 percent compared to the average salary of MOP24,640 in the fourth quarter of 2019, before the pandemic.

In the final quarter of 2019, the Macau gaming sector employed a total of 58,225 full-time workers, which was 12.5 percent higher than the figure recorded in the last quarter of 2023.

As of the fourth quarter of last year, there were 23,359 people employed as table game dealers in Macau, a decrease of 362 year-on-year. Their average earnings rose by 5.4 percent compared to the previous year, reaching MOP20,870, although this figure was down by 1.0 percent compared to the final quarter of 2019.

The quarterly survey excludes individuals working for VIP gambling junket promoters or junket associates.

The statistics bureau noted that with the gradual recovery of the economy, there has been an increased demand for manpower in the gaming sector. In the fourth quarter of 2023, there were 400 job vacancies in the gaming sector, an increase of 387 compared to the same quarter of the previous year.

Original Story by: GGRAsia