Since December, the Labour Affairs Bureau of Macau has received 61 applications for employment aid by employees who were recently working with the VIP gaming clubs in the area. The individuals were seeking help in finding employment, of which seventeen have found employment via a matching service provided by the government.

Lau Wai Meng reported the figures during an event on Saturday, as he is the deputy director of the Bureau. Lau stated that individuals reached out to the Labour Affairs Bureau for layoff compensation. Speaking with the media, Lau stated that the number of cases in the instance of former VIP workers is not a lot. Since December, the Bureau has received complaints from individuals in regards to termination of employment by the VIP gaming operators.

The laid-off employees can be re-employed as most are hired to a position that is related to the gaming industry. The 61 employees were previously hired by nine VIP clubs in Macau but the actual names of the clubs were not disclosed.

To show their concern for the job market situation in the gaming industry, the Labour Affairs Bureau will be hosting on-the-job training programs for workers of local casinos. These programs will be used to help individuals upgrade skills based on non-gaming activities.

The Bureau would also like to work with gaming companies to provide management training as the government wants to diversify from the struggling gaming industry. Six gaming operators have been asked in the past to provide paid training for on-the-job programs. The Bureau is considering offering programs for training in facility management to help employees upgrade their position.