Holiday headache as staff shortage bites Hobart

“I think you could knock on the door of any business and they’ll give you a go.” One industry in Tasmania is facing a severe lack of staff, mirroring national shortages.

Customs House Hotel manager Robert Jubb with waitress Katy Hutchison. Picture: NIKKI DAVIS-JONES

HOTEL, bar and restaurant operators are scrambling to recruit workers to meet the demands of the summer tourist surge in Hobart.

Staff to serve thousands of drinkers, diners and guests daily are needed across the city’s venues and hotels, and it’s in the areas of chefs and supervisor, or middle management roles, that the numbers are particularly thin.

Tasmanian Hospitality Association general manager Steve Old said many businesses were finding it difficult to get staff, with the Hobart situation mirroring a state, and national, skills shortage.

“There’s definitely a shortage of staff out there, so businesses are doing what they can to recruit and to upskill the people that they have already got, but it can be tough to fill the gaps, especially at this time of year,” he said.

“For example, if you are a qualified chef or cook in Hobart, I think you could pretty much knock on the door of any business and they’ll give you a go. And if they don’t have a job, they can probably point you to the business next door, or down the street, and they would have one waiting for you.”

Mr Old said the hospitality industry had warned of a skills shortage as the sector grew and was working with the Government and industry partners to improve training and job prospects.

“It’s frustrating, because we are an industry that has got jobs. And we’re growing, so there’ll be even more jobs to fill in the future,” he said.

Customs House Hotel bartenders Ryan Boyes and Holly Spencer. Picture: NIKKI DAVIS-JONES

“The message is, if you can do the work, if you are keen and eager, well presented, have got the right attitude and you can get the proper training, then you are pretty much guaranteed a job in this industry.”

Customs House Hotel on the Hobart waterfront will be packed with patrons over summer, especially late December-early January when the Sydney-to-Hobart crowd is in full swing.

Manager Robert Jubb, whose family also has interests in restaurants and bars in Salamanca, agreed it could be hard to find staff for the summer peak.

He acknowledged that some prospective workers were looking for more security than casual shifts offered across summer.

But opportunities for more steady employment were improving because Hobart was now a year-round venue thanks to winter festivals, such as Dark Mofo, and events such as AFL matches.

“Hobart is a more vibrant place now than it was even just five years ago, and we’re seeing a different crowd too, so it’s an exciting time in the industry,” Mr Jubb said.

“Getting the extra staff you need can be hard, and every season it’s getting bigger down here, so we need to recruit those extra people.”

Hobart demographer Lisa Denny said there were several workforce challenges facing the hospitality industry.

She listed long hours, physical work, pay rates, job security and clashes with other industries, such as seasonal agriculture, as issues the hospitality industry needed to address to encourage more interest.