Worker drought looms

Busselton could be faced with a severe shortage of hospitality workers this tourist season, with restaurants battling to draw staff away from high mining industry wages.

Australian Hotels Association CEO Bradley Woods said hospitality venues were doing everything they could to source staff in the face of a continuing upsurge in the mining and resources sector.

The effects have been felt locally with several venues reporting staff shortages.

The Goose Café’s Greg Smith told the Times experienced waitstaff were becoming harder to find and job advertisements were not attracting as many applicants as in previous years.

“We had a senior position advertised for six weeks nationally, there’s certainly a lack of experienced candidates,” Mr Smith said.

With the summer tourist season just weeks away, Mr Smith said he had resorted to a Perth recruitment agency to advertise for staff after a poor local response.

He said the appeal in the metropolitan area still only led to the sourcing of one suitable staff member.

Inexperienced staff, he said, were being hired and trained on the job to prepare for the summer season because of the lack of experienced staff.

Mr Smith said the previous mining boom also resulted in a shortage of experienced staff at the restaurant.

“I don’t know what’s happening we are a little bit concerned,” he said.

“Certainly now I think mining boom two has come and it’s happening again.”

The Royal Palms Resort manager Ramesh Edumban agreed staff were hard to find, including chefs.

He said the venue was investing months training inexperienced staff because experienced staff were not available.

Mr Edumban also flagged the mining industry as a possible cause for the shortage.

“Mining jobs are better paid and I think that is the reason they have all packed up,” he said.

Mr Woods said the hospitality industry throughout the whole of WA was under pressure and the AHA called on the State and Federal Governments to provide flexibility in skilled and unskilled recruitment from overseas.