By Byron Kaye

SYDNEY (Reuters – Australia’s party season is finally over after two years of COVID-19 stop-start lockdowns. But venues, from sporting venues to restaurants, are now facing a tough summer following a massive exodus of foreigners and holiday workers.

The market has been flooded with casual workers due to strict border closings. This means that hospitality-focused companies like Sydney’s AlSeasons have had to decline some positions even though the economy is opening up.

Rhondda Everingham is the hiring manager for the company that provides hospitality labour. She stated, “Prior lockdown, it’s possible to place an advertisement with hundreds of candidates.”

You might get lucky and get five, but you may have three suitable candidates, which could mean that you will get another job.

Labor shortages are worst for public-facing firms. This is due to months of rolling lockdowns that have been in place in Sydney and Melbourne. The latter ended COVID-19 curbs Oct. 11th, while Melbourne moved last week.

Statistics from government show that the percentage of foreign workers working in this country, which includes many travellers who have work visas, fell by almost two-thirds between the year 2020 and the first quarter 2021.

Peter Hurley from Victoria University, who is a researcher on education policy, stated that the fall in international student numbers has not been as drastic. It is estimated that there are 300,000 less foreign students now living in Australia than when the pandemic began, which is a decrease of over half.

Businesses in Sydney, which is home to 25% of Australia’s casual workforce of 2.2 million, are now struggling to hire staff after four months of lockdown.

A stadium soccer match, which was the first major test of event staffing, took eight days for 730 to prepare, serve, clean, and secure 22,500 spectators.

VenuesLive is a stadium operator. VenuesLive was able to get the headcount due to no other large events taking place at the same moment, according to a representative of the company. He also noted that hospitality businesses all over the world are facing staff problems.

JOB LAG

New South Wales’ government, whose capital is Sydney, has announced that it will resume accepting students from overseas. It also stated that they want to see Australia’s immigration levels increase by 400,000 per year, and to replace labour shortages.

The federal government is keeping its staged reopening. This follows popular support for border closures that were strict during the pandemic. The Australian government says that only residents, Australian citizens and their families can enter the country right now.

Many employers are reluctant to hire foreign nationals even when they return home, because they require local knowledge and proficiency in English.

Employers offer incentives.

Australian Venue Co is the owner of 160 clubs and pubs across Australia and offers A$1,000 ($745) coupons for new kitchens or floorstaff to those who have stayed more than three months because it has difficulty finding staff.

Geoff Alcock, managing director of MSS Security said that the company, which protects Sydney’s universities, government and corporate buildings, will invest A$1,000,000 per year in order to fund industry-required training, and to fill 400 vacancies.

Pompei’s Italian Restaurant at Bondi Beach was a hit and it traded in lockdown, offering delivery and takeout. But, because half the staff left, they are closing down for Monday lunches and for all day Mondays.

Nobody has ever shown up to an interview despite the fact that they advertise a A$2,000 sign-on bonus for bar and waitstaff staff.

Before, people would wait in line to get their tickets and book appointments. Pompei stated that you don’t even want it anymore. “This is the new normal for COVID.”

($1 = 1.3414 Australian dollars)