With the organisational restructuring of the Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL), which includes a new division specifically focused on the hiring of non-resident workers, the question must be asked: “If casino upper management job security becomes unstable, will the casinos be able to properly support Macau’s image revamp?” Our casinos are working quickly to create alternative activities for tourists like entertainment, activities for non-gaming age patrons, and dedicating funds to re-branding the image of gaming in Macau – all in the name of anti-corruption. Just last week lawmaker Ella Lei said in the Legislative Assembly that “there are too many non-resident workers in management positions in the gaming industry”. While consideration should always be given to local workers, discounting the longevity and experience of international workers in executive level positions within casinos will cause major issues, especially if a work visa renewal denial is sudden. The Human Resources Office of Macau told the Portuguese language Jornal Tribuna de Macau that the bureau can deny requests for renewals of non-resident casino executives’ working visas if “there are local workers that can fulfil the necessary conditions to perform managerial roles”. If this is found to be true those individuals currently working in management positions, all tasked with supporting major image campaigns, will ultimately feel insecurity grow regarding their visa renewals – regardless of their job performance. At the same time as the DSAL begins their thorough examination of international workers in upper management positions the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) estimates that our number of tourists will climb to 40 million visitors in the year 2025. With increases in tourism and new casinos being added to Cotai surely there will be plenty of new jobs on the horizon to employ locals. Do we really need to threaten the security of international workers employed by global brands in the gaming sector? Shouldn’t casinos be allowed to recruit the most innovative, experienced and seasoned executives that are available in the market internationally? Any new hire should be scrutinised with priority consideration to locality but the existing employee should not be penalised due to their non-resident status if they are performing well in their jobs. Casinos should be given the task of evaluating performance and locality without fearing a sudden visa denial. Consideration must also be given to the families of non-resident workers who have bet their livelihood on moving here for work. Are we now saying that working in Macau is no longer a safe bet?
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