MGM Osaka Faces Daunting Foreign Worker Requirements, says New Assessment
It is unclear what status of employment this applies to the specific casino employees
NLI Research Institute’s latest assessment suggests MGM Osaka may need 1,645 foreign workers by its third year of operation, highlighting the scale of the staffing challenge facing Japan’s first integrated resort on Yumeshima.
The estimate spans hotels, restaurants and casino-related operations, but it is based on assumed labour shares rather than MGM Resorts International’s hiring plan.
The project, developed with Orix, is still scheduled to open around autumn 2030.
The study indicated that accommodation and food service roles would account for 894 of those jobs, with a further 309 in leisure and entertainment, including casino operations. It does not say how many would be dealers or other frontline gaming staff.
Casino Employees Status Still Unclear
Researcher Tomoya Suzuki said the question of which status would apply to casino employees is still unclear.
Japan’s Specified Skilled Worker framework covers hospitality and food service, but gaming has no long domestic track record, making it harder to decide whether it fits existing shortage categories.
A separate professional and specialist route may not extend to customer-facing dealing jobs, while casino staff would also need to satisfy suitability checks under gaming regulations.
NLI estimated that foreign labour demand linked to the Osaka IR could reach about 10,000 in the wider Kinki region by the third year.
Osaka City recently put a minimum price tag of JPY92.113 billion ($595 million), on a 42-hectare parcel beside the planned MGM Osaka resort.
The land forms part of the former Osaka-Kansai Expo grounds and is separate from MGM Osaka’s Phase 1 construction zone, but officials want the two projects to work in tandem.
Osaka’s master plan refers to an “IR collaboration zone” designed to create synergies with the integrated resort and the planned Expo memorial park.
