The NSW Government is Offering Free Hospitality Training to Fill a ‘Critical’ Labour Shortfall

 The New South Wales Government has offered thousands of free training opportunities to address “critical” labour shortages in the Hospitality Industry.

Up to 3,000 individuals will be able to study in 29 different courses at TAFE NSW and other authorised providers, including barista training, safe food handling, responsible service of alcohol (RSA), and cookery workshops for beginners.

As part of the state’s recovery from the outbreak, Premier Dominic Perrottet said free training will help recruit more workers to hospitality establishments. “People are lined up from all across the state to get into bars and clubs, and we want to support those companies with eager and talented employees”, he added.

“We know that companies are hurting without overseas staff on which they relied before to the lockout. That is why initiatives like these are so vital, filling labour gaps and providing job seekers with the prospect of a successful career in hospitality.”

 As New South Wales’s economy recovers for the first time in more than three months, the hotel industry is confronting a significant labour crisis.

Wes Lambert, CEO of the Restaurant & Catering Industry Association, stated “That Country is experiencing a ‘serious labour’ crisis, 85,000 of 220,000 opportunities advertised on the job search portal SEEK are for Hospitality positions”.

 He also stated, “That the scarcity of hospitality employees was caused by the closure of international borders, which prevented foreign students, skilled migrants, and working holidaymakers from entering the country”.

“Certainly, we need those borders to reopen because many of those occupations- barista, bartender, and wait staff- account for around 53% of empty employment and we would love for Australian youngsters to fill these positions, in the long run, we need more Australians to enter traineeships and apprenticeships in the hospitality industry”.

 Mr Lambert noted that salaries in the hotel industry is “skyrocketing” due to a labour shortage and a high demand for competent staff. “We’re hearing of some companies paying up to $40 an hour for roles that would ordinarily be in the 20$, as well as sign-on incentives”.

Certainly, the scarcity has resulted in higher salaries, which will eventually result in higher menu pricing.