SJM announces pay hike effective April

Apr 03, 2017 Newsdesk Latest News, Macau, Top of the deck  

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Macau-based casino operator SJM Holdings Ltd on Saturday announced a salary increase for what it termed eligible employees, effective from April 1. The range of the pay hike is between 2.5 percent and 9.1 percent, according to SJM’s Saturday press statement issued in Chinese.

The statement did not specify the number of eligible employees receiving the pay hike, or the factors affecting the variation of increase. The firm did note however that it had noted that it had increased the extent of salary increase for what it termed entry-level workers, and “had given particular consideration to the needs of local employees”.

Currently, more than 95 percent of the SJM Holdings’ workforce are local residents, according to the firm’s Saturday statement. As at December 31, 2016, SJM Holdings had approximately 20,600 full-time employees, the firm stated in its annual results for 2016.

SJM Holdings was the last of the city’s six casino operators to have confirmed a salary increase for employees for this year. Sands China was the first, announcing in January a pay rise for its full-time employees in the range of 2 percent to 6 percent for this year. Fellow operators MGM China Holdings Ltd, Galaxy Entertainment Ltd, Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd and Wynn Macau Ltd publicly announced in March their pay hikes for eligible non-management employees. MGM China’s award was in the range of 3 percent to 7 percent; Galaxy Entertainment’s ranged from 2 percent to 5.5 percent; Melco Crown’s was of between 3 percent and 7 percent; and Wynn Macau’s was in the range 3 percent and 6.5 percent.

SJM has noted in its Saturday press statement that its Cotai project, Grand Lisboa Palace, is expected to open in the first half of 2018. With the new casino resort, the firm said it will offer over 10,000 employment opportunities for Macau residents, with a majority of positions related to non-gaming work.

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