Regional hiring outlook better for La.: A new survey of chief financial officers finds that 7% say they plan to hire more employees in accounting and finance during the third quarter. The Robert Half Financial Hiring Index says 6% plan to lay off accounting and finance employees, leading to a 1% gain, up from the current quarter. The outlook is even better for the west-southcentral region, which includes Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma. Nine percent of CFOs there expect to hire workers in the quarter, while 3% expect to reduce staffing. The survey is based on a poll of more than 1,400 CFOs.
Set to pass Las Vegas: Asia will boast the world’s two biggest casino markets as early as this year, with Singapore set to take the No. 2 spot from Las Vegas, a U.S. gambling industry group says. Frank Fahrenkopf, president of the American Gaming Association, says Singapore raked in $5.1 billion in gaming revenue last year and could bring in up to $6.4 billion this year. The city-state opened its first two casinos last year. Las Vegas, which lost its No. 1 spot to Macau in 2006, earned $5.8 billion in casino revenue last year but is a mature market with little potential for big growth. “It’s going to be an extremely good year,” in Singapore and Macau, Fahrenkopf says. Casino revenue in Macau will probably grow 25% to 50% this year, Fahrenkopf says. Gambling revenue in Macau, the world’s most lucrative gambling market, hit $23.5 billion last year, and monthly revenue has grown by at least 42% from February to May.
