The current shortage of hospitality staff across the country is bringing our industry to its knees. As restrictions have continued to ease in large parts of Australia, we are seeing hospitality events and businesses revived, and many are seeking workers to support this revival. However, the current crisis for our industry is not only within skills shortages as experienced pre-COVID but a chronic short supply of workers.
Large events around the country are challenged with staff shortages, and the common response from our industry is the lack of applicants applying for jobs. The staff shortage is not only affecting the hospitality industry but is being felt across the board in other industries such as horticulture, agriculture, aged care and cleaning. Much like all these industries, a large proportion of our industry’s workforce is made up of international students and working holiday makers. There is also a heavy reliance on backpackers from Europe, Asia and the US, as well as seasonal workers from the Pacific Nations. The repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the closure of Australia’s international borders to non-residents, strict quarantine rules and cap on movements between states, presenting the full extent of the issue as the numbers of the workforce for fruit picking, vegetable harvesting, cleaning and hospo are cut in half. It’s no surprise that WA seems to be the hardest hit.
No one really knows what will happen in the coming year, but we will continue to see this very concerning shortage of staff issue if the Federal Government does not step up and try to understand why the current crisis exists and what steps needs to be taken to address it. The Federal Government will also need to recognise the important role international travellers and backpackers play in filling these many positions within the hospitality industry and extend visas to allow them to continue working at events, restaurants, bars, pubs and cafes.
Hospitality events and businesses in Melbourne will most likely also experience a short supply of skilled workers once (or as we feel – if ) they we allowed to reopen. Whilst we await for Melbourne’s restrictions to ease further and with the JobSeeker/JobKeeper program winding back, this presents a real opportunity for Victorians looking for work to consider putting their hand up for a job and for those who have lost work to get back out there to secure a role.