Hospitality workers face grim future
As the nation prepares for a ban on venues that hold over 100 people, workers in the hospitality industry are facing an imminent threat of mass job losses.
According to the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia, about 500,000 jobs could be lost over the next few weeks and months as the nation locks down in a bid to halt the coronavirus pandemic, with hospitality workers among those expected to be worst affected.
More than two million Australians are employed casually, mostly in the hospitality, retail and tourism industries, all of which are reeling as demand dries up.
Federal Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham said the coronavirus crisis could result in almost eight per cent of workers out of a job.
“One in thirteen Australian jobs rely on the tourism and hospitality sector and those employers, those businesses and those jobs are all on the line right now,” he told The Australian.
“Ultimately, we're not going to be able to save every single business or every single job either. This is a terrible, terrible event that we're dealing with. It's something that has never been encountered before.”
Sheridan Randall, 18th March 2020
