Macau casinos have been closing thousands of hotel rooms as they continue to deal with labor shortages. Properties are struggling to keep up with the large number of tourists that have been flowing into the region from mainland China since the easing of pandemic restrictions.
Some of the biggest casinos have fewer than half of their total hotel rooms available to book. With the staff shortages, certain hotels now only will clean rooms when the guest has checked out.
Casinos hope the labor shortage issues will be resolved in time for the busy summer season. Macau Responsible Gaming Association president Billy Song believes that the slow hiring process of overseas workers is one of the issues.
caught off-guard at the sudden easing of pandemic restrictions in January
Many operators were caught off-guard at the sudden easing of pandemic restrictions in January and are now playing catchup. Government-approved quotas are also in place for the hiring of non-locals, which slows things down.
While casino jobs like dealers, accountants, and floor managers are reserved for local people, foreign workers are needed for roles like cleaners, receptionists, and waiters. Over 44,000 non-local workers have left Macau since the start of the pandemic.