Dealing with difficult times

Hospitality and casino company Resorts World is laying off staff at its Singapore, New York, and Malaysia properties as part of cost-cutting measures to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

cost-cutting measures to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus

About 2,000 workers in Singapore, 2,211 in New York, and approximately 3,000 in Malaysia will reportedly be out of work as a result of job cuts. Most of the redundancies are said to involve positions that deal directly with visitors, such as casino game dealers, hotel housekeeping, and theme park ticket agents.

Resorts World also has properties in the Bahamas, the United Kingdom, South Korea, and the Philippines. There has been no indication of whether these properties will also be laying off workers.

Unavoidable move for Singapore casino resort

According to The Straits Times, around 2,000 employees at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) will be laid off amid a “one-off workplace rationalisation”. The casino resort in Singapore is under the ownership and operation of Genting Singapore, which has provided no exact numbers to date.

other job opportunities as well as a full compensation package

RWS tried to avoid layoffs by looking at other ways to reduce costs, such as cutting out non-essential spending and slashing management salaries by as much as 30%. Laid-off staff will be provided with other job opportunities as well as a full compensation package. 

Tourism business hard hit by COVID-19

Lack of tourism is the main issue, according to a media statement from RWS. The resort operator said of the pandemic fallout: “Its pervasive and lasting effects will accelerate shifts in the tourism industry that require significant adjustments by all travel and tourism players.”

The coronavirus outbreak came at a poor time for Genting Singapore as it was looking to expand its RWS property. The plan was to spend up to $3.3bn in extending the casino gaming floor by 50% and building 1,100 new hotel rooms.

Laying off workers elsewhere

Employees at the Resorts World Catskills and Resorts World New York City are also facing layoffs. These casino workers, who have been furloughed since mid-March, have been informed that some of them will be let go. 

furloughed since mid-March

The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act requires larger employers to send letters to workers giving 60-calendar-day advance notice of mass layoffs. “As part of that process, we are now required by law to issue WARN letters to the furloughed staff,” a statement from Resorts World about the New York layoffs read.

Layoff notices were issued to 1,256 employees of Resorts World Catskills in Monticello and 955 Resorts World New York City workers. Casinos in New York state have yet to reopen.

Genting Malaysia’s Resorts World Genting has cut its workforce already by about 3,000 employees, or 15%. It has also slashed salaries, with a potential 40% reduction in staff costs to be realized by the company. Resorts World Genting reopened on June 19, having been closed since March 18.