The number of workers in the local gaming industry decreased slightly as at the end of the second quarter compared to one year ago. However those workers who had stayed in the industry, were receiving higher salaries than previously. According to the latest statistics released yesterday by the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC), there were 55,708 full-time employees working in the gaming industry as at the end of June, representing a year-on-year decrease of three per cent. The data, however, excludes the number of people engaged in the junket-related business. Of the total full-time gaming employees, 44 per cent, or 24,285, were dealers, a decrease of 3.1 per cent compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, the number of directors and managers in the industry recorded an increase of 3.6 per cent year-on-year-to 2,314. Fewer new workers hired For the three-month period, there were a total of 587 job vacancies in the sector, up by 80 year-on-year. Most of these job openings were for clerks and service and sales workers. However, only some 660 new employees were hired in the three months, which represents a plunge of 66.5 per cent compared to 1,972 new hires in the same period one year ago. The decrease in the number of new employees drove the employee recruitment rate of the sector down by 2.3 percentage points year-on-year to 1.2 per cent. In addition, the employee turnover rate remained unchanged at 1.5 per cent, while the job vacancy rate rose slightly by 0.1 percentage points year-on-year to one per cent. ‘These indicators suggested a continued slowdown in demand for manpower in the gaming sector,’ the Bureau noted. Salary raise On the other hand, the average earnings of full-time gaming workers recorded a slight increase of 2.7 per cent year-on-year to MOP22,060 (US$2,758) in June. The average earnings for dealers jumped by two per cent year-on-year to MOP18,960. The average earnings of resident workers also recorded an increase of 2.9 per cent year-on-year to MOP22,130 in the month, while that of non-resident workers decreased by 0.9 per cent year-on-year to MOP20,710. The situation was slightly different for employees at management levels. For senior management staff in the industry, meaning directors and managers, average monthly salaries came to MOP51,510 in the month, up by 1.2 per cent year-on-year. In particular, non-resident employees at such levels saw their average salaries climb by 12.9 per cent year-on-year to MOP81,100 in June, however the average earnings for local staff at the same levels was only up by one per cent year-on-year to MOP48,430 on average. In terms of vocational training, 79,385 employees from the gaming sector attended training courses provided by the enterprises, increasing by 77.3 per cent year-on-year. Most participants attended courses in Gaming & Entertainment Services, followed by Business & Administration, which accounted for 35.3 per cent and 34.1 per cent of the total, respectively.
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