WA businesses struggling to fill dream jobs due to nationwide worker shortage

Picturesque locations, fair pay, and little to no experience required — there are vacancies aplenty at cellar doors, breweries and beachside venues across WA. To many, these tourism and hospitality opportunities appear as dream jobs. But WA’s talent pool has been exhausted. Pre-COVID pandemic, the State relied heavily on foreign working holidaymakers to fill the positions. And businesses are now struggling to keep their doors open, particularly after Premier Mark McGowan’s announcement that the hard border will now remain in place indefinitely. Unlike its geographical location, WA isn’t isolated on this issue. Wendy Mead, the boss of recruitment agency Pinnacle People, said chronic shortages were a problem nationwide. If she had workers to fill all the requests her teams were fielding every day, her firm, which specialises in hospitality, would beat its best year in business by 22 per cent. She said on their busiest days, more than 3000 requests for staff are unable to be met. The Melbourne-based chief executive tipped WA’s staff shortages would significantly worsen. An employment report released this month by the National Australia Bank found WA companies were having the greatest difficulty finding staff nationwide, with 44 per cent of businesses identifying the skills crunch. “At the peak time of the year in hospitality, between 70 and 90 per cent of the workers are international workers, so the minute the borders closed we knew that was going to be an issue,” Ms Mead said. “Initially, it wasn’t an issue because we were in lockdown. So, as the various dates have opened up, (the other States) all had their little mini crises. Perth has remained lean the whole time.” For those looking for a job, there are plenty of exciting opportunities available. Those with sound sea legs could take up a gig cruising the South West waters as a deckhand or bar attendant on a 20m gaff rigged schooner modelled on the design of early 1900s pearl luggers. No qualifications but wouldn’t mind travel perks? Virgin has spruiked the tagline “No experience? No dramas!” on recent advertisements for cabin crew, committing to train candidates. One of the more casual prerequisites advertised is “a love of chocolate” — which Yallingup chocolatier Gabriel Chocolate has included in its pitch for a cafe all-rounder willing to work for up to $35 an hour. People chasing a gig on WA’s little slice of paradise on Rottnest, have a string of options to choose from, including maid jobs, beach activity attendants and waitstaff. Further south, one of WA’s newest hotels, Hilton Garden Inn on the Albany waterfront, is seeking a front office manager, just as long as the candidate is familiar with computer systems and fluent in English. Forget the four years of training to become a chef, Eco Abrolhos Cruises will pay you more than $80,000 on the prerequisite that you have experience cooking fresh seafood and are “seaworthy”. In Denmark, an area that has experienced a surge in popularity over the pandemic, family-operated The Lake House Denmark is seeking a chef or cook who has experience in a commercial kitchen. They have a cellar door, restaurant and The Shed tasting room, which is open seven days in a spectacular location. Just around the corner, the Boston Brewing Co is seeking a duty manager paying $65,100 full-time. Jobseekers will, however, need previous management experience at a venue. The well-known Yallingup winery Swings & Roundabouts is chasing kitchen hands and chefs for kitchen positions including pizza chefs, chefs and kitchen hands. Closer to the city, Mandoon Estate, which produces premium wines in the Sw an Valley region, is looking to fill a casual cellar door position. Applicants should have some wine knowledge but importantly “an interest in learning more”. Ms Mead said chefs had been among the hardest positions to fill and it was becoming commonplace for a kitchen hand to take the title by default. “All of our kitchen are getting promoted to chefs. A cook is now a chef, a chef is now a head chef — because of that skill shortage, people are getting promoted outside their areas of capability,” she said. Do you have no experience in sales or tourism but wouldn’t mind a job as a guide and jewellery vendor? Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm isn’t fazed if people are willing to work in Broome for up to $30 an hour. Pearls of Australia executive manager Jessie Hornblow said positions were available across the company, from Broome-based tour guides and waitstaff to reception and sales. “It’s quite a dynamic little business with lots of fun opportunities,” she said. Ms Hornblow — who also holds board positions for the Broome Visitor Centre and the region’s peak body Australia’s North West tourism — said Kimberley businesses were trying to stay positive, despite the uncertainty. “We’re advertising for staff ... with the aim that we will be open in some way, shape or form,” she said. “We’re recruiting Australia-wide. We’ve got staff who went home over the wet season to the east coast that we’re hoping we’ll be able to get back in as well. “It’s not going to be a free-for-all. It will come down to border restrictions, especially in regions like the Kimberley. “It’s quite stressful, not knowing.” Growing concerns over staff shortages in a variety of industries last year prompted Mr McGowan to launch a skills forum, with the Premier admitting there was no easy fix. “What we’re seeking is feedback on what innovative ideas are out there to try and deal with this problem,” he said at the time. “In particular about better utilising people who live in Western Australia, and perhaps other parts of Australia. “So how do we maximise the skills and abilities of Western Australians to get people back into the workforce — get older people back in, upskill people who are already there, pull women back into the workforce.” Australian Hotels Association (WA) chief executive Bradley Woods said several things had resulted from the forum, including rolling out advertising for a working holiday visa to countries such as the United Kingdom and Ireland. But there’s also the prospect of a mass exodus of young Australians heading overseas to take up jobs now most of the country is finally allowed abroad again. Ms Mead said young people were itching to travel and, thanks to Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s COVID welfare boosts, many were cashed-up in preparation. Mr Woods believed the issue wasn’t to do with any sort of lackadaisical attitude from Australian jobseekers, but that many positions were aimed at the international market. But, he said the jobs needed to be snapped up. “We’ve previously employed tens of thousands of working holidaymakers in the State and on an annual basis that revolves and it turns over according to the visa time length, so they’ve been very important,” he said. Mr Woods is a supporter of Mr McGowan’s decision to delay reopening WA’s borders, saying it would help the hospitality sector be better prepared.

WA businesses struggling to fill dream jobs due to nationwide worker shortage

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