Lawrence Ho will hire 20,000 new employees

The management of Melco Resorts and Entertainment Limited hopes that the amended on Japanese immigration legislation will contribute to attracting foreigners to work in gambling establishments of integrated resorts (IR) in the country.

A Hong Kong company will need from 10 to 20 thousand employees if it is selected as one of the three licensees to whom the Japanese government will issue a permit for the construction and operation of casino resorts.

Melco CEO Ho Lawrence noted that a change in legislation was necessary during the construction of facilities in Macau and Manila.

Ho explained that most of the employees will still be Japanese.

The immigration bill, which will be considered on December 10th, will allow employees to file a request for permanent residence, and corporations will be able to solve the problem of staff shortages. According to preliminary data, the Japanese government hopes to attract more than 345 thousand people to the country.

Melco is one of many operators who is preparing to enter the Japanese gambling market in advance.

According to Ho, Melco plans to invest more than $10 billion in land acquisition and construction as part of its Japanese project. The company is already negotiating with potential local partners.

Ho said that the company focuses on Osaka and Yokohama to create its own IR and that the experience in these municipalities will be considered when choosing local partners.

The Japanese company Sega Sammy also declared its interest in obtaining an IR license and is looking for a partner for the project.