The Macao Special Administrative Region Government recently announced data showing significant achievements in the "localization" process of senior positions in gaming enterprises, with local employees making up nearly 90% of the management, reflecting Macao's continuous tightening of foreign labor policies, especially in the gaming industry.
At the plenary session of the Legislative Assembly, the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Lei Wai Nong, pointed out that the six licensed gaming enterprises currently have 11,594 mid-to-senior level managers, of which 10,407 are local residents, accounting for 89.8%. This ratio indicates that the Macao government is continuously promoting the "locals first" policy, reducing the development space for foreigners in the mid-to-senior levels of the gaming industry.
Lei Wai Nong emphasized that the authorities have always prohibited foreign workers from holding core positions such as dealers, dealer supervisors, and professional drivers, and this employment red line has never been relaxed. He also stated that the government is actively urging gaming enterprises to create more promotion opportunities for local residents, pushing them towards management positions.
Despite this, Lei Wai Nong also mentioned that as a multicultural city, having enterprise leaders with different cultural backgrounds can enhance international perspectives and global connectivity, which is positively significant for Macao's future development.
Since the implementation of the revised gaming law in 2022, the six major gaming enterprises have been required to protect the labor rights of local employees while increasing on-the-job training and internal promotion efforts, strengthening the career development paths for local talents. This policy direction also means that foreign professionals will face higher thresholds and fierce competition for employment in Macao's gaming industry in the future.
A series of policy changes have clearly signaled a "locals first" approach, and the employment structure in the gaming industry is rapidly transforming. For foreign practitioners hoping to enter or continue in Macao's gaming field, it is now more important to seriously evaluate their career positioning and future development paths.
