Results of the Manpower Needs and Wages Survey for Second Quarter 2005 – Gaming Industry

Statistics and Census Service released the results of the Manpower Needs and Wages Survey of the Gaming Industry. Survey coverage for the second quarter of 2005 excluded junket promoters and junket associates. At the end of the second quarter of 2005, there were 23,368 paid employees working in the Gaming Industry, an increase of 18.2% compared with the second quarter of 2004. Analyzed by occupation, 13,560 were engaged in positions that are directly related to betting services, such as hard and soft count clerks, cage cashiers, pit bosses, casino floorpersons, dealers, betting service operators, etc., while 4,085 were engaged as services and sales workers, including casino and slot machine attendants/hosts, security and surveillance workers, etc., up 27.4% and 13.8% respectively, compared with the second quarter of 2004. In June 2005, average earnings (excluding year-end bonuses, holiday allowances, profit-sharing bonuses and other similar bonuses) for full-time paid employees rose slightly by 0.5% over June 2004 to MOP 10,931. Average earnings for positions that are directly related to betting services, such as hard and soft count clerks, cage cashiers, pit bosses, casino floorpersons, dealers, betting service operators, etc. was MOP 11,303, which fell by 5.8% over June 2004. The average earnings of casino and slot machine attendants/hosts, security and surveillance workers, etc. increased by 5.0% compared with June 2004 to MOP 6,492. At the end of June 2005, there were 13,046 vacant posts in the Gaming Industry, a remarkable increase of 164.9% over June 2004. Within these vacancies, 7,240 were related to hard and soft count clerks, cage cashiers, pit bosses, casino floorpersons, dealers, betting service operators, etc., while services and sales workers had 4,572 vacancies. As regards recruitment prerequisites, 10.6% of the vacant posts required working experience; 58.9% required senior secondary or higher education. Besides Cantonese, other preferred language skills were Mandarin (88.8%) and English (54.5%).