General News
19 January, 2023
Staff shortages causing headaches for Maryborough hospitality businesses
A number of local hospitality businesses are battling to attract new staff, with a lack of accommodation and the lasting impacts of the pandemic cited as barriers to employment for the district. The Maryborough Highland Society has been advertising...
A number of local hospitality businesses are battling to attract new staff, with a lack of accommodation and the lasting impacts of the pandemic cited as barriers to employment for the district.
The Maryborough Highland Society has been advertising a chef position for six months with little to no interest, despite offering a salary above award rates.
It’s an issue throughout regional Victoria according to general manager Malcolm Blandthorn, who said skilled roles such as chefs are particularly sought after.
“Chefs in regional areas are always hard to find and we have relied on internationals to fill those positions, but due to COVID there hasn’t been that influx of chefs we’re used to,” he said.
“We’ve tried everything, we’ve secured accommodation and tried to tie that in to the package but we’re just not getting any applications and the position would be almost 50 percent above the award wage.
“We’re doing absolutely everything we can to try and fill the void, but it’s very hard to do that when you get little to no applications.
“It’s putting a very heavy strain on our existing chefs as well, the amount of hours the team did just to get through December has meant we’ve had to close on a Monday and Sunday night because those hours aren’t currently sustainable.”
The Advertiser spoke to a number of local hospitality businesses, with a majority reporting there is a shortage of workers, or people willing to work, in the area.
Mr Blandthorn said he had discussed the issue at length with other businesses and a lack of accommodation had been identified as a barrier for new staff.
“There have been a few local forums about this where we’ve spoken on what we can do to attract staff to the town and one of the biggest barriers we have is accommodation,” he said.
“There is very little available here in terms of accommodation which makes it hard for people looking to move into the area for work.
“If accommodation was readily available it may be a different story, but I don’t know how we can change that — it’s something that takes time.”
Down the road, the Supreme Court Bar and Restaurant is experiencing similar difficulties and is currently looking to put on up to eight additional staff.
Owner Craig Lovett said the business has found it harder to attract staff since the COVID pandemic began.
“It definitely has been harder to source, attract and entice any form of staffing since the pandemic,” he said.
“What we’re finding is there just doesn’t seem to be anyone willing or able to stick their hand up to do work locally.
“We’ve got some great terms and conditions available, we’ve got work available during the day, at night and over the weekend and the benefits that go with any position are great.
“We’re doing a range of advertising across social media, print and radio and getting very little interest.”
Mr Lovett said he’s looking to expand the businesses trading hours, however is hamstrung without additional staff.
“At the moment we need between six and eight people and that’s anything from a few hours here and there, right through to consistent full-time hours and more,” he said.
“The few people who have shown interest in positions, we’ve found, are not genuine and there is time that’s been wasted on people who haven’t been honest with their applications.
“We are looking to expand our operating hours, that’s our main drive, but doing so is next to impossible without the staff to support it.”
