Macau’s biggest casino operator Sands China unveiled an internal transfer scheme for its employees amid falling industry recruitment and concerns about layoffs. According to a company press release “My Way”, as the program is called, will offer 1,000 gaming team members training and transfer to non-gaming positions at Sands China properties in work including food and beverage, security, business development, wardrobe, guest relations, housekeeping and facilities.
The scheme will be voluntary, Sands says, with participants working in their new roles for two or three years, with the option to return to their original positions at 30 days notice, or remain in their new jobs upon completion of the program. So far, the company said, 1,200 local team members have shown interest, with more expected.
“Sands China is pleased to offer this latest career development opportunity for its local team members,” Senior Vice President of Human Resources Antonio Ramirez was quoted as saying. “This is our latest effort to invest further in them, providing new opportunities to broaden their career horizons with new skill sets, training and experience – all while supporting Macau’s diversification and growth as a world center of tourism and leisure.”
Talking to local media, however, Vice President of the labor group Forefront of Macao Gaming Lei Kuok Keong said his members feared layoffs from the table dealer sector, as the city’s 21 month-old gaming slump was putting pressure on operators to cut costs. While casino dealer positions in Macau are reserved for permanent residents of the city, the government’s Statistics and Census Service recorded a 4.4% drop in such jobs in 2015, with no vacancies in the fourth quarter. Industry-wide, only 376 new employees were hired over the three months, down 81 percent from the same period in 2014.
Sands operates three casinos in Macau, with a fourth due to open this year in November, and employs 27,000 staff in gaming and non-gaming positions. In recent months several other gaming operators have also introduced schemes to allow casino staff to move to non-gaming jobs. The Macau Special Administrative Region’s unemployment rate is an exceptionally low 1.9%.
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