Coffee Club closes as businesses struggle to find workers

As the jobless rate falls to its lowest level in more than 20 years businesses are struggling to maintain their operations. Read about how dire the situation has got in Townsville >>>

As the jobless rate falls to its lowest level in more than 20 years businesses are struggling to find the staff they need to maintain their operations.

More than 2400 jobs are on offer in the Townsville region on Seek, ranging from more than 400 in trades and services to more than 200 in areas such as manufacturing, transport and logistics, healthcare and medical and hospitality. More than 60 jobs are available in sales.

Townsville economist Adjunct Professor Colin Dwyer said the hot labour market was continuing to present challenges in recruitment and one solution was to bring in skilled workers from overseas.

“But that’s proving to be more of a challenge given all the circumstances around Covid and competition from other countries,” Prof Dwyer said.

Townsville Enterprise launched its Designated Area Migration Agreement earlier this month to bring in up to 1000 overseas workers each year for the next five years.

Releasing their quarterly business confidence survey this week, advisory firm PVW Partners says 39 per cent of its respondents were looking to employ more staff, while 49 per cent expected to increase their spending on staff training.

PVW managing partner Carl Valentine said the training push was unprecedented and likely a combination of employers seeking to retain staff as well as expand their roles due to the scarcity of new recruits.

One Townsville business, Coffee Club in Flinders St, put up the closed sign this week. While a representative of the business could not be contacted, one staff member told the Bulletin the closure was a result of a lack of staff as well as a lease falling due for renewal.

Cowboys Leagues Club general manager Clint Williams said they needed staff in roles from everything from bar, gaming, catering, reception and the team shop to chefs and back of house.

“We are like everyone. I could put 20 staff on tomorrow and have more than enough hours for them and the current team. We are two or three chefs short of what we need,” Mr Williams said.

“Pre-Covid we would get 30 applicants but now we are lucky to get five or six.”

Regional data for June released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics this week shows Townsville’s 12-month average jobless rate is 3 per cent — the lowest in records dating back to 1999 — while the size of the labour force is at a record 129,400.

In Mackay, Isaac and Whitsundays the jobless rate was even lower at 2.5 per cent, with Cairns at 4.6 per cent.

Originally published as Coffee Club closes as businesses struggle to find workers