Macau’s Secretary for Economy and Finance, Lei Wai Nong, said Tuesday that the minimum proportion of local staff employed by each of the SAR’s concessionaires is 85%.
His comments were made during a plenary session of the Legislative Assembly, where a number of members asked the government about the employment rights of local residents and the ratio requirements of local resident staff versus foreign employees under the 10-year concessions signed in December 2022.
In response, Lei confirmed that concessionaires have long promoted the employment of local residents and provided them with employment training and job opportunities.
He added, “The minimum standard for the proportion of local staff employed by each corporation is 85% … this ratio is the minimum standard, not the maximum standard.
“It is not difficult to find that some young Macau residents, after years of training, have now become the senior management of the concessionaires.
“One of the considerations of the gaming contracts is to provide employment for Macau residents and the concessionaires have been actively promoting this aspect.”
Lei did, however, note that Macau may need some different types of talent in the future as concessionaires continue to develop and launch new non-gaming elements and attractions to their properties.
He also pointed out that some jobs “such as housekeepers and cleaners” were not viewed as a priority for Macau residents and that the Labor Affairs Bureau would take this into consideration when approving foreign employment applications.
According to latest figures from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC), the overall unemployment rate in Macau is currently 2.3%, while the unemployment rate of local residents sits at 2.9%.
As of the third quarter of 2023, the number of gaming and junket employees was around 71,000, of which 68,100 were local residents, representing a ratio of around 96%.
In the hotel sector, the number of employed persons as of 30 September 2023 was around 26,100, of which 16,700 were local residents, representing a ratio of around 64%.
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