Staff shortage in holiday destinations puts venues under extreme stress
Port Douglas restaurants and bars are seeing visitor numbers increase over the holiday period, however many local businesses are suffering from a shortage of staff.
The holiday period is usually a time when seasonal workers on visas arrive to supplement full time workers during peak periods. However, due to COVID-19 border restrictions, there is a massive shortage of backpackers across Australia and many job vacancies are left unfilled.
Heather English, manager of Peninsula Boutique Hotel and Hi-Tide restaurant, said she had numerous vacant positions in both venues.
“We haven’t been able to run the restaurant at full capacity and we have had to shut some nights a week and just serve in-house-guests only because we haven’t had enough staff,” she said.
“And the restaurant is down about six staff members compared to what we would usually have over this period,” adding that some of her current staff members are about to leave due to their expiring work visas.
Many businesses across the Douglas Shire are experiencing similar situations.
General Manager for Hilrok Hotel Group, Charles Warren, said they had been finding it extremely difficult to fill staff positions in their venues the Court House and Central Hotels.
“I’ve been here for seven years and it’s the worst I’ve seen it in being able to find experienced staff,” he said.
CEO of Tourism Port Douglas Daintree, Tara Bennett, laments the lack of working holiday maker visa holders in Australia, which she says is having a significant impact on the tourism and agriculture sectors.
“This is a multi-layered issue which will require a range of initiatives to tackle. TPDDs Board of Directors discussed this in-depth last week and we will continue to advocate on behalf of our industry and work with partners on regional solutions,” she said.
Irit Jackson, 21st January 2021
