Australia’s New Normal: The Great Staff Heist
After shedding the cuffs of two‑year‑long lockdowns, Aussie venues—from bustling restaurants to sprawling stadiums—are finally ready to open their doors. Yet a sudden, massive exodus of holiday workers and foreign students has left many struggling to keep the lights on.
The Greedy Gap in the Workforce
- Border shut‑doors wiped out the casual labour dream‑team. Hospitality giants such as Sydney’s AlSeasons now have to turn down offers, even as the economy attempts to puff back up.
- “Before lockdown, a single ad could flood in hundreds of applicants,” explains hiring manager Rhondda Everingham. “Now you’re lucky if five show up, and by the time you’ve found the good ones, they’ve already jumped ship.”
- Public‑facing establishments—those nation’s most visibly affected by months of curbs—are feeling the squeeze hardest.
Numbers That Tell a Tale
- Non‑resident workers (travel‑visa folks) dropped by two‑thirds in the June 2021 quarter from the start of 2020.
- Foreign students plunged by over 50%, leaving 300,000 fewer educational bright sparks in the country.
- When the two major cities, Sydney and Melbourne, lifted restrictions (Oct 11 and late last week), the job‑market vacuum stayed.
Harder Than a Stadium Riddle
Take the big test: a stadium football match on Oct 25 needed 730 staff—cooks, servers, cleaners, and security—for a 22,500‑person crowd. The venue, VenuesLive, managed to gather the crew, thanks to a single‑event timetable; other locations were scrambling.
First‑Rate Insurance to Bring Back the Numbers
- New South Wales aims to lure eight‑hundred new international students, hiring ambassadors to double workforce numbers to 400,000 per year.
- At the federal level, only citizens, residents, and family can enter the country now. Even when visas start flying in, many employers await locals who know the ropes and speak fluent English.
Incentives to Cash In
- Owner of Australian Venue (160 pubs + clubs) is offering a A$1,000 voucher to anyone who sticks around longer than three months.
- Security firm MSS Security is ready to spend A$1 million a year on training and filling two‑fold vacancies that ballooned to 400 since early 2020.
- Italian hotspot Pompei’s at Bondi Beach once thrived on take‑out; now it’s giving up weekday lunches for the first time in 20 years. Half the staff have ridden the waves out.
When “Sign‑On Bonus” is a Vacuum
Pompei’s put a A$2,000 cash bonanza on waitstaff interviews, but the phone remains silent. “Back in the day, you’d drown in interview calls and the queue waiting outside your door would do the rounds—now you’re fighting a quiet crisis,” says owner George Pompei.
So there it is: the Aussie job market feels the after‑shock of stoppage. New hires are still waiting in a waiting‑room of re‑opened doors. For now, story-lines of staff shortages and generous vouchers keep the community on their toes—until a workforce boosts the nation’s pulse once again.
