Atlantic City Casinos on the Boardwalk
Certainly, casinos in Atlantic City and Pennsylvania are currently struggling with staff shortages. The problem is not affecting this business only but every other industry as well. In 2020, casino hotels recorded the sharpest decrease in workers in the private sector. Compared to job losses in other industries, the casino business recorded over 3.5 times more.
Over 6,000 jobs lost in PA in 2020
In total, Pennsylvania online gambling and land-based casinos lost over 6,000 workers by the end of 2020 due to the pandemic. These are figures according to an annual report by the state’s gambling board. This accounted for almost 41% fewer workers compared to the close of 2019. Atlantic City casino workers’ job losses were over 4,000 workers by the end of 2020. This was 21% fewer jobs than there were in 2019.
Record growth in 2021
Even after the lockdowns had been lifted, more workers continued favoring remote work because the pandemic safety was still uncertain. As experts tried to get a better understanding of great resignation, casinos in PA and Atlantic City had started to experience record growth.
The casinos in Atlantic City bounced back by 31% in 2021 compared to 2020. They recorded an impressive $2.55 billion in 2021. All the nine casinos in Atlantic City recorded impressive growth.
In PA, gaming revenue increased by almost 80 percent from 2020 to over $1.93 billion in taxes. Customers had returned to the casino facilities, and business was back to normal. However, one important resource was still lacking – workers.
Workers are still few
Workers shortage in PA and Atlantic City casinos did not start with the ongoing war. The shortage started from the time the casino doors were reopened after the lockdowns. The post-pandemic effect is still being felt, and there is no certainty as to how soon the challenge will end. The worker shortage in the casinos is at its lowest, more than it has ever been recorded.
What is the driving force?
A lot of factors are affecting the short being experienced across all sectors. Estimates given by Katie Batch of Brookings Institution show about 1.6 million workers are missing in the labor market due to the pandemic’s lingering impact.
Another challenge could be the mandatory vaccination rule which required all workers to be vaccinated. At a time when they were supposed to be reporting to work, most of them were not vaccinated, and they kept off.
The great worker shortages mean the current workers are overworked. Some are frustrated by the current global situation. Currently, there are several thousands of job openings waiting to be filled, such as hotel front desk, slot supervisors, and attendants.
