The Covid-19 pandemic generating a devastating impact on the tourism industry, Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) announced today that the company was laying off staff as part of cost-cutting measures. However, RWS declined to say how many staff members were affected.
After a decade in operation, this is the second time RWS cutting down their workforce. According to trusted source, most of the affected staff are Malaysians, quoted by China Press.
RWS said in a statement it had already “reviewed all costs”, eliminated non-essential spending and cut the salaries of management by up to 30 per cent, but had to make the “difficult decision” to retrench employees.
“The global COVID-19 pandemic has brought about challenging economic times globally, generating a devastating impact on the tourism industry,” RWS said.
“In this latest round of review, we have made the difficult decision to implement a one-off workforce rationalisation. This decision was made after a thorough process of careful deliberation and consultation,” it said, adding that the move will help it prepare for the recovery of Singapore’s tourism sector.
“We fully understand the difficulty and anxiety this means to impacted team members and their families. RWS takes a long-term view of our manpower needs, including the consideration to maintain a strong Singaporean core,” it said in the statement.
According to CNA, RWS said it is working with various agencies to help retrenched employees find new jobs.
They include the Attractions, Resorts and Entertainment Union (AREU), Employment and Employability Institute (e2i), Public Service Division, Workforce Singapore and SkillsFuture Singapore.
“At least two to three job opportunities have been successfully identified and shortlisted for every affected local team member,” said RWS.