Calls for the mumforce to save our struggling hospitality sector, with 53 per cent of businesses report staffing crisis

More than half of Northern Rivers businesses are concerned about a staffing crisis. But are mums the answer to helping an industry that is struggling to make ends meet?

Industry experts are callling for mums to take up the call to help our struggling hospitality sector. Picture: Alix Sweeney

Northern Rivers businesses are reporting a staffing “crisis”, but one unique solution could hold the answer.

The state’s peak business organisation, Business NSW, released their 2021 first quarter Quarterly Business Conditions Survey with the Northern Rivers staffing crisis emerging as a particular concern for hospitality businesses.

According to the organisation’s regional manager, Jane Laverty, 53 per cent of North Coast business leaders reported a staffing crisis as their major concern.

This compared to 43.9 per cent statewide.

More than 80 per cent of businesses also reported shortages had resulted in increased workloads for existing staff, and 43 per cent reported the shortages had resulted in lost business.

One of these had been Ballina Homestead Motel & The Proper Cafe owner Michael Fellner.

At the height of the pandemic Mr Fellner had been forced to rely on a skeleton staff.

But tourism started to increase from October, and the business was back bigger than ever, but with no extra hands.

“We’ve never been that busy,” he said.

“We need people to fill the void from Covid, there is a real shortage and everyone is screaming for staff.

“We’ve had a roundtable discussion with tourism providers and there’s a real crisis I think, everyone is looking for staff and can’t find anyone.”

Anke and Michael Fellner have been longterm business owners in the Ballina region.

It was stories like this that worried Mrs Laverty, who was “stopping just short of calling for a hospitality national service”.

“I am concerned that between the restrictions that are still in place for the hospitality sector and the difficulties they are facing in recruiting staff that we will see them struggle to make ends meet,” Mrs Laverty said.

“This means they do not meet their full potential in the local economy as job providers and we lose a key and important ingredient to our visitor economy.

“The fundamental costs to running the business like rent, electricity and insurances do not change and other overheads such as ingredients, transport and compliance are all increasing.

“As the vaccine rolls out I would expect restrictions will ease and this will be the opportunity for the sector to regain their ground and thrive. But to do this we need a workforce.”

Some strategies flouted to solve the crisis included a focus on ramping up discounted apprenticeships and traineeships for people interested in a hospitality career.

The other was to a use rising mumforce.

“We know that women re-entering the workforce or needing to juggle kids in school with work commitments can find it challenging,” Mrs Laverty said.

NSW Business Chamber Northern Rivers regional manager Jane Laverty.

“Local cafes, clubs and restaurants believe that what they can offer in hours and flexibility is well suited to the ‘Mumforce’, so the call is going out.

“We are expecting the forthcoming Federal budget to have a ‘women in the workforce’ support focus too, so the timing is good for the industry to align with this and do what they can to support women who are either re-entering employment or transitioning from another industry to gain the skills and set their path in this direction.”

For Mr Fellner, it made perfect sense.

“We can be quite flexible in terms of hours which especially suits mums who have kids at school,” she said.

“They can pick and choose however many days suit them, hospitality is perfect for that.

“We’ve had a few housekeepers that were mums who can drop their kids off, come into work and finish in time to pick up kids in the afternoon.”

His message for those interested in the sector was to give it a go.

“You never know what will come out of it,” Mr Fellner said.

“You may start in housekeeping and lead into more office work, or progress to assistant managers.

“There’s so many different areas in hospitality, it can open up so many opportunities.”