In the same reply, the DSAL stated that the resident workforce within the six operators amounted to 76,225 individuals, representing 73.7 percent of the total workforce as of June 2024. 

Rejecting Song’s proposal to cap the number of non-resident workers employed by gaming operators, the DSAL emphasised the need for “flexible and practical” human resource management to support Macau’s development as a world centre of tourism and leisure. “It is not suitable to rigidly establish a proportion or restrictions on the number of non-resident employees hired by businesses,” the bureau remarked.

The DSAL highlighted its careful approach to reviewing non-resident worker applications from gaming operators. When such applications are received, the bureau first refers potential resident candidates for the vacancies. If suitable residents are identified, the applications are not processed further, the bureau explained.

“For frontline roles that fewer locals are willing to undertake, such as room attendants and waiters, the DSAL will pragmatically assess applications for non-resident employees from gaming enterprises, ensuring fair evaluations while prioritising local employment and upholding labour rights,” the bureau stated.

Recent government data showed an increase in the number of non-resident workers in Macau, rising to 182,307 in July 2024. This marked a 0.7 percent increase from the previous month and an 8.9 percent year-on-year growth. This surge, the highest since August 2020, reflects the return of migrant workers post-Covid, following a significant exodus during the pandemic. The city lost nearly 45,000 non-resident workers—over one-fifth of the total migrant workforce—during the Covid years.

Management positions

The DSAL also reported that, as of June 2024, 90.3 percent of middle and senior management positions within the six gaming operators were held by locals, in line with the 85 percent threshold mandated by the government to promote the upward mobility of resident employees.

Secretary for Economy and Finance Lei Wai Nong provided the same figure in August before the Legislative Assembly.

In efforts to boost local employment, the bureau highlighted its collaboration with gaming operators to conduct at least six job-matching sessions per month. Over the first seven months of 2024, 8,260 residents secured positions at local enterprises with the bureau’s assistance. Of these, 5,990 residents—73 percent of the total—were hired by gaming operators, the response added.

Specialised employment and training initiatives, established through the partnership between the DSAL and gaming operators, recruited 439 locals between 2023 and July 2024 across sectors such as hotel services, dining, security, entertainment, electromechanical engineering, digital and information technology, and business analysis.

“Based on the development of local enterprises and manpower demand, various measures will be implemented to strike a balance between the supply and demand of the labour market, with a priority on ensuring sustained employment opportunities for residents,” the bureau remarked.

As of July 2024, Macau’s overall unemployment rate stood at 1.7 percent, with the jobless rate for residents at 2.3 percent. These figures represent a significant decrease from the peaks of 4.3 percent and 5.5 percent recorded in 2022, respectively.