Macau luxury hotel hires 500th Filipino employee

MANILA, Philippines - Filipinos are among the most in-demand workers in the hotel and restaurant industry, not just in Macau but also all over the world. Filipinos in Macau comprise the second largest population after mainland China. Macau continues to boom, overtaking Las Vegas with several new resorts opening in the next few years. This means thousands of job opportunities for Filipino workers.

“Macau is also one of the highest-paying cities for hospitality workers, almost doubling what a Filipino receives in the Middle East,” said Paolo Martel, managing director for Ikon Solutions.

Ikon Solutions is a full-service licensed recruitment agency with offices in Manila, Cebu, Macau and Hong Kong.  It specializes in recruiting personnel from all corners of the Philippines and concentrates in providing everything from lineup to management staff for the hospitality, healthcare and technical industries.

Recently, Macau’s largest casino has just appointed its 500th Filipino employee.  A special presentation by Philippine Consul General Danilo Ibayan marked the occasion.

Ikon Solutions, the only Philippine recruitment agency licensed by the Macau government to deploy workers within the territory, placed the employee, Mildred Anciano Sembrano.  Also attending the official ceremony, held at the Philippine Embassy in Macau, were Labour Attaché Ramon Pastrana and Paolo Martel, managing director of Ikon Solutions.

“The very warm and glad reception of Sembrano as the Venetian’s 500th employee speaks volumes about how the management appreciates the excellent work that she and other Filipinos like her provide to the hotel,” said Martel of Ikon, which recruited Sembrano for the hotel.

Martel explained that the certificate awarded to Sembrano also recognizes the continued partnership between Ikon, the Venetian and all other leading five-star hotels and casinos in Macau. It indicates the promise of new job opportunities for more Filipinos in Macau, as there are several mammoth projects due to open in the next two years.

“The award signifies how highly both Ikon and Venetian value Filipino workers. As Ikon deploys more and more top-notch Filipino talents to Macau, we expect more recognition for the OFWs we deploy. Excellent candidates like Sembrano help establish Ikon as a preferred recruitment agency in the Philippines for Macau’s five-star establishments.

“The 500th Employee Award also shows the continuing commitment on Ikon’s part to promote Filipino hospitality to world-renowned brands in Macau, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and Canada. We are always looking for top quality Filipino candidates for deployment overseas,” Martel added.

Ikon helps Filipino job seekers and employers through various online channels and initiatives. Ikon has removed the middlemen or broker system, which in the past has led to workers being exploited. Applicants through Ikon are guaranteed that they will never have to pay exorbitant fees to find the right jobs.