Travel agents fear for jobs as JobKeeper ends

The end of JobKeeper also spells the end of some travel jobs, agents warn as international travel is out and even domestic borders are uncertain.

Travel agents will lay off staff and close their doors now that JobKeeper has ended, industry leaders warn.

And they say companies in some other industries, which have bounced back since the start of the pandemic, should have been weaned off the Federal Government’s wage subsidy earlier.

Phil Hoffmann, of the eponymous business, said the one light at the end of a long tunnel for him was pent-up demand for overseas travel and cruising.

However, he said even if all went well, it would be three years before the travel industry returned to pre-COVID revenue.

“I’ve had one agent say to me he is just going to close the door – he has had enough,” Mr Hoffmann said. “Another said she cannot take another year of this.

“The aviation, tourism and travel industries have been hit hardest in all this, both with the closure of international borders and the ongoing uncertainty with state borders we are seeing even today, which has made people very gun-shy about booking a holiday.”

Phil Hoffman with staff at his Glenelg branch in October 2020. Picture: Sarah Reed

Mr Hoffmann’s company has made a commitment to try to hold on to staff and give them as much work as possible, but he said when COVID first hit “we were a supermarket with nothing on the shelf, it has been tough”.

He said JobKeeper had kept the travel industry afloat while it was down to “bare bones”, but other industries that recovered strongly from the first wave of lockdowns could have come off the wage subsidy much sooner. That could have helped fund a JobKeeper extension for the travel and aviation industries, he said.

Industry data indicates travel agents have endured an 80 per cent drop in business during the pandemic.

Dennis Bunnik, of Bunnik Tours, said the end of JobKeeper last Sunday was devastating.

“The jobs left in our sector are all highly skilled and experienced people,” he said.

“Losing any more of these will impact on businesses’ ability to bounce back quickly when borders open.

“The government has announced travel industry specific grants but we are still waiting on details.”

Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has argued continued wage subsidies would stop people moving into productive jobs.

He said the Federal Government would continue to support the economy through “targeted support measures” and tax cuts.

Bunnik Tours staff members Zoe Francis, Kristi Rutten, Jennifer Calnin, Bailey Bunnik and Jeremy van Heerde. Picture: Tom Huntley

Originally published as Travel agents fear for jobs as JobKeeper ends