QHA_August-2021-Digital

Judy Hill
ACCOMMODATION UPDATE
HELP WANTED
2021 is proving to be an extraordinary year in
Australia’s tourism and hospitality industries. When
asked what is the main issue facing the industry at the
moment the answer is always labour and skilled labour
shortages.
Many leisure destinations in Queensland have in
the past relied on local workers for much of the
year, boosted by transient backpackers and foreign
students at busier times in high season.
As an example January 2020 - 91,250 international
students arrived in Australia where 12 months on 360
students arrived!!
Stephen Ferguson, CEO AHA said there have been
ongoing concerns about the downturn in the number
of Australians wanting to enter the food industry with
a 43% drop enrolling in trade apprentices. It seems no
one has a permanent solution until border restrictions
are relaxed for foreign workers.
A good outcome on 22 June 2021, the Australian
Government announced that chefs have been added
to the Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List
(PMSOL).
The Australian Government has recently announced
further visa changes to provide more support to local
businesses.
Our international borders remain closed, and this
situation has threatened the recovery of Australia’s
hospitality sector by worsening the existing shortage of
skilled chefs.
This means that the Government now recognises
‘Chefs’ as a critical occupation required to aid
Australia’s economic recovery.
The occupations on PMSOL are eligible to secure an
exemption from Australia’s current travel restriction
policy in place if they are sponsored by an eligible
employer in Australia. In addition, their application
for an employer sponsored work visa will be given a
priority processing allowing recruiting skilled Chefs
from overseas on an employer sponsored work visa.
On a state level the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a
critical workforce shortage in the Queensland tourism
industry. There is a strong demand for domestic
tourism in Queensland and there is a need to find
a new workforce to meet the demand and give all
visitors to Queensland a high quality experience.
From 1 July, applications will open for the $7.5million
incentive program to attract talent to work in regional
Queensland to enable the tourism sector to operate
fully and meet 2021 tourism demands.
The Work in Paradise program will include:
• Support for Regional Tourism Organisations (RTO)
to build a Work in Paradise jobs website – a
dedicated website to connect jobseekers to tourism
jobs in Queensland;
• Work in Paradise Incentives Scheme – $1500 cash
payment to take a job in tourism for at least six
months in eligible regions in Queensland;
• Job Start Travel Bonus - $250 cash payment for
successful jobseekers to take up a job in tourism in
Northern and Western Queensland;
• Connecting jobseekers to low-cost accommodation
and free or subsidised training to help job seekers
sharpen their skills to work in a wide range of
tourism jobs.
• The incentive program will focus on northern
Queensland from Mackay to Cape York and west to
the Outback.
• Rebuilding our tourism industry is an important
part of Queensland’s economic recovery plan so I
encourage you to list your tourism jobs on the new
Work in Paradise jobs website and encourage job
seekers to register.
Find out more by visiting qld.gov.au/workinparadise
or @QldTourismDevelopment, @TEQ,
#WorkinParadiseQLD or #SupportQldTourism.
QHA REVIEW | 41