A representative of the Macao Gaming Industry Employees Home association said yesterday that according to its recent survey, 85.1 percent of former junket staff of casinos’ VIP rooms are still unemployed.
The representative made the remarks during a press conference on the association’s premises at Mei Lam Garden Building about the findings of its recent survey about former VIP room junket workers’ employment status and the needs for assistance by the government.
According to a statement given out by the association during the press conference, the survey had 309 respondents, all of them former employees of the now defunct junket operators Suncity, Tak Chun and GuangDong Group.
According to the findings, 86.1 percent of the respondents said they were made redundant because of the recent collapse of the junket business, while only 7.8 percent left of their own volition.
The findings show that among the jobless respondents, 86.3 percent said they couldn’t find work due to Macau’s shortage of jobs, while 64.6 percent said it was because their work experience is limited to the gaming industry, and 42.6 percent said it was because they lack specific working skills. The statement noted that 51.1 percent had a monthly salary of more than 20,001 patacas while they were working for the VIP rooms, while more than half were the breadwinner of their family.
The findings also show that only 11.9 percent of the respondents are now employed, with 64.8 percent now only earning 12,000 patacas a month.
The statement underlined that 87.5 percent of the jobless respondents said that they are facing financial problems, noting that 40 percent of them consider selling their assets to tackle them.
Meanwhile, the findings show that more than 80 percent of the respondents are dissatisfied with the aid provided by the Macau government. The statement pointed out that the respondents urged the government to provide more job referrals or host different skills training courses. The statement underlined that the respondents said that they would prefer to work in the gaming or retail industries, or in clerical positions.
The findings also show that most of the respondents said that they were suffering from anxiety and depression.
Based on the findings, the association’s representatives urged the respondents to consider to work in other industries and to adjust their job expectations. The representatives also urged the Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) to allow the unemployed to join its subsidised training courses at least twice, and create more jobs for local employees by reducing the number of non-resident workers (NRW).
Representatives of the Macao Gaming Industry Employees Home labour union pose during yesterday’s press conference about former VIP room junket workers’ employment situation and assistance needs, at the union’s premises in Mei Lam Garden Building.
Photo: Yuki Lei
