New Zealand casino operator SkyCity Entertainment Group is warning that it will likely sack another 700 staff as it prepares to open as “a smaller, domestically focused business” once the pandemic all-clear sounds.

On Monday, SkyCity issued an update on its efforts to mitigate the fallout from the suspension of its casino operations in both Australia and New Zealand due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the “incredibly difficult” choices it’s facing is reducing its rostered (waged) staff by “around 700” to ensure it is prepared for the “new environment” that awaits post-lockdown.

One month ago, SkyCity announced that it was laying off around 200 staff, following the standing down of “around 90%” of the workforce at its lone Australian casino in Adelaide. The company asked the rest of its waged staff to agree to work for 80% of their normal pay, a step SkyCity believed would help avoid the additional 700 redundancies.

Most of the 700 layoffs are expected to be at the company’s Auckland casino, which currently employs nearly 3,000 staff. SkyCity CEO Graeme Stephens said the layoff process would take “some weeks” and the company would work with affected staff to make the process as painless as these things can be.