Coronavirus Qld: Employers look for thousands of workers amid crisis
Unemployment might be about to reach once-in-a-century highs, but some of Queensland’s biggest employers have begun urgent recruitment to fill thousands of positions created by the coronavirus crisis. WHERE THE JOBS ARE
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SOME of Queensland’s biggest employers have begun urgent recruitment drives to fill thousands of positions created by the unprecedented demand for their services during the coronavirus outbreak.
A shining light has emerged amid mass job losses and fears the nation’s unemployment rate could hit 30 per cent, with some companies desperately working to fill jobs created in response to the COVID-19 crisis.
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The Courier-Mail can reveal the jobs on offer for Queenslanders include call centre workers, triple-0 operators, healthcare staff and grocery shelf stackers.
Telstra, BHP, the Queensland Ambulance Service, Centrelink, Queensland Health, the Commonwealth Bank and Coles are among some of the employers fast tracking their recruitment to get thousands of new workers into in-demand jobs.
Telstra has begun recruiting 1000 people across Australia including 300 positions in Queensland with 200 staff needed in Brisbane and a further 100 in Townsville.
“Our call centres operate over a rotating roster on a 24/7 basis and we are looking for people who have call centre or retail customer service experience in a large-scale organisation, are problem solvers and can learn and use new systems quickly,” a Telstra spokeswoman said.
“We’ll be moving quickly to recruit all the positions with applications closing on or before 17 April.”
The loss of more than 50,000 jobs in Queensland after mandatory shutdowns were implemented on Monday has seen an unprecedented demand for Centrelink with Services Australia expected to take on 5000 more workers to handle the flood of unemployment applications.
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Jobs on the agency’s temporary employment register are being advertised at junior and corporate levels.
Casual, part-time and contract positions are available with tasks including assessing the needs, entitlements and obligations of Centrelink customers.
Queensland Health has also launched a major recruitment campaign to expand its workforce in the fight against coronavirus.
Doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, allied health and other professionals are being sought out.
Expressions of interest are also being taken in a range of support roles including patient support, linen services, rubbish collection, cleaning, food preparation, mailroom, administration and trades.
Exact numbers of jobs on offer is still being worked out, and will be based on demand on the health sector as the pandemic ramps up.
Health Minister Steven Miles encouraged retired health workers to apply for jobs and he looked forward to being able to hire those who needed work.
“We expect demand on the health system to increase, which is why we are opening expressions of interest now so we have the workforce required should we need in the coming months,” Mr Miles said.
“We are calling for Queenslanders who may have moved into a different industry, left the workforce or have the relevant experience to apply now.
Queensland Health has also training more people to work at its 13 HEALTH call centre where it’s understood the service will be significantly expanded from 300 seats to 1600.
The Federal Health Department is also advertising an unspecified number of positions to deal with the national response to coronavirus.
The department is looking for professionals with qualifications and experience in public health, epidemiology, data analysis, laboratories, emergency management, and communications and media.
More than 1000 jobs are also advertised with the Queensland Government which is streamlining recruitment processes and reducing recruitment timelines.
Queensland Public Service Commission Chief Executive Robert Setter encouraged those looking for work to check the government jobs website.
“Here job seekers wanting to make a difference and work with the Queensland Government can find hundreds of employment opportunities, across many different Queensland locations – from administrative roles to health and community care, and everything in between,” he said.
He said people could also check the Queensland Government LinkedIn which advertises new positions regularly including one posted this week looking for 66 workers needed to work with people with a disability in Oxley, Nundah, Ipswich and Toowoomba.
The Queensland Ambulance Service is also calling for applicants to fill emergency medical dispatcher roles to assist in answering triple-0 calls and dispatching to prioritise and allocate QAS resources.
QAS Deputy Commissioner Michael Metcalfe said the service would employ 30 new EMD’s in the coming months including 15 by the end of March.
Supermarket giant Coles is also recruiting more than 5000 new casual staff members including 2000 in Queensland amid the coronavirus outbreak to help stock shelves and serve customers.
“Casuals will have their inductions fast-tracked so we can boost the number of team members on the shop floor as quickly as possible,” a Coles spokesman said.
“We are also seeking to hire more Customer Support Agents to drive our online delivery vans.”
“We’ve seen a surge of more than 40,000 applications over the past week and are working through them now to fast track casual team members in store as soon as possible.”
An Aldi spokesman said the grocery chain was also “actively recruiting for roles across our network to help more Australians have access to everyday essentials” but did not specify how many jobs were on offer.
BHP will hire 1500 additional staff in the coming months including about 1000 in Queensland.
The jobs will be offered as six-month contracts and cover a range of skills needed by BHP operations in the short term.
The roles will include machinery and production operators, truck and ancillary equipment drivers, excavator operators, diesel mechanics boilermakers, trades assistants, electricians, cleaners and warehousing roles across coal, iron ore and copper operations in WA, QLD, NSW and SA.
The jobs will be offered through existing labour hire partners and BHP contracts in each state.
CBA is also hiring up to 500 staff and while it is not sure how many will be based here, it is talking to big Queensland companies like Virgin Australia to see if it can redeploy some of its stood down staff who have similar security clearances.
“We need around another 500 people to help with increased call volumes, and we expect to see more as customers are seeking financial assistance and help over the coming months,” a CBA spokesman said.
“We’re sourcing additional staff from some other major employers. We have spoken to both Qantas and Virgin Australia to see if we are going to be able to mobilise some of their staff quite quickly, such as their cabin crew who have similar security checks to banking staff.”
A spokeswoman for Seek said the coronavirus had seriously hit the job market even before tight crackdowns were announced on Sunday.
“The impact from coronavirus is clear, it is causing significant disruptions to the Australian job market and our February data shows sectors such as hospitality and tourism and education and training are in decline,” SEEK ANZ managing director Kendra Banks said.
“Our last few weeks of employment data shows a significant drop across many more industries including retail, construction and sport and recreation.”
The website currently has 21,992 jobs advertised in Queensland including more than 3000 in the health and medical field, 2600 in trades and services and 1800 in information technology and communication.
Who’s hiring
BHP
● Need 1000 staff in Queensland and 1500 across Australia.
● Jobs include machinery and production operators, truck and ancillary equipment drivers, excavator operators, diesel mechanics boilermakers, trades assistants, electricians, cleaners and warehousing roles.
● Apply here and at employment agencies and contractors.
QLD AMBULANCE SERVICE
● Recruiting 30 Emergency Medical Dispatchers to assist in answering triple-0 calls and dispatchers to prioritise and allocate resources.
COLES
● 2000 staff in Queensland and 5000 across Australia.
● Shelf stackers, entry level customer service required.
TELSTRA
● Needs 300 staff in Queensland
● 100 for its Townsville call centre and 200 for its Brisbane call centre.
COMMONWEALTH BANK
● Needs 500 staff.
ALDI
● Looking for workers across its entire network.
SERVICES AUSTRALIA
● Expected to take on 5000 more Centrelink workers to handle the flood of unemployment applications.
QUEENSLAND HEALTH
● Recruiting staff across the fields of medical, nursing and midwifery, allied health, administrative support, operational and dental to support the response to COVID-19.
QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT
● Almost 1200 jobs across a range of sectors are currently advertised on its website and the Queensland Government LinkedIn.
● Apply here and here
Examples include
● The Department of Communities, Disability Services and Seniors are seeking values-driven Support Workers for 66 roles in Oxley, Nundah, Ipswich and Toowoomba
● Senior Pharmacy Assistants with Queensland Health
● Primary Care Administration Officers
● Social Workers.
FEDERAL HEALTH
● The federal Health Department is looking for those with qualifications in public health, epidemiology, data analysis, laboratories, emergency management, and communications and media.
Examples include
● Services Officers at Services Australia
● Service Delivery Officers for the Australian Taxation Office
● Staff to work on the response to the COVID-19 crisis.
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