Casinos and Hotel boom in Asia running out of Staff to fill positions
As Asia’s tourism and hospitality sector struggles to cope with what now represents its worst staffing crisis in recent times, many employers are now being forced to rethink their staff selection criteria in order to ensure they can fill vacancies.
According to leading recruitment and executive search specialist TMS Asia-Pacific (TMS) the situation has resulted in a paradox for many of its Asian clients who are now dropping their overall criteria requirements - some by as much as 30 per cent - to secure staff.
TMS’ Singapore-based General Manager Asia, Andrew Chan, said that many companies had taken the decision to rethink their selection criteria and fill empty job slots as quickly as possible rather than spend months looking for that elusive “perfect” candidate.
“Speaking from personal experience, I know of several companies who waited more than 12 months to fill a position – in today’s busy business environment who really has the time to wait that long,” he said.
The situation, he said, had been further exacerbated by the huge staffing demands now being fuelled by major casino and hotel developments taking place across the region – particularly in Macau and China.
Mr Chan cited several recent ‘head-hunting’ missions in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore by Macau hotel and casino interests.
These, he said, have resulted in hundreds of experienced Asia-based staff being poached to work in the hotels and casinos comprising Macau’s soon-to-be opened Cotai Strip which even in pre-official opening mode is now drawing more revenue than Las Vegas.