Casinos in Russia suffer from staff shortages
According to information received by RBC from the Association of Entertainment and Event Tourism Industry Operators (AIRIS), gambling zones in Russia are facing a serious shortage of qualified professionals. It is estimated that the current staff shortage is 15%, and this figure may grow to 25% in the next two years due to the expansion of the industry.
The data provided by AIRIS takes into account statistics on the number of employed staff, average salaries and staff shortages from the HR departments of three of the four gambling zones in Russia: Krasnaya Polyana (Sochi), Sibirskaya Moneta (Altai) and the Tigre de Cristal casino in Primorye (Vladivostok). The data of the Yantarnaya gambling zone were not presented by the association.
By the beginning of 2024, the total number of employees in the Krasnaya Polyana, Sibirskaya Moneta and Primorye gambling zones exceeded 4.2 thousand people. However, they lacked approximately 760 people to fully fill their staffing levels, which is 15% of the total number of employees.
There is a significant shortage of workers among specialized gambling specialists such as croupiers, dealers, inspectors, slot room attendants and cashiers. There are also many vacancies in the hospitality industry, which is closely related to casinos. However, the projected labor shortage is much higher, with the number of unfilled vacancies expected to increase by 26% in the near future.
The reasons for staff shortages in the gambling industry are manifold. They are related to the expansion of gambling zone infrastructure, the growing number of visitors, remoteness from major cities and the lack of a large market of job seekers with experience in the field. To solve this problem, companies are starting to provide various benefits and training, but many potential candidates are not aware of such programs.
