Queensland needs Hospitality workers and association encourages employers to use the 457 Visa Program to fill positions vacant.
According to an article on the Courier Mail newspaper recently, the state of Queensland is in desperate need for hospitality and tourism workers.
Employers cannot find enough local staff and when they do, they are not qualified enough to fill the positions available.
The Courier Mail said that the increase in Chinese tourists coming to visit Australia, and their favouring of Queensland as a top tourist destination has created a boom in the Tourism & Hospitality Industry, with an increase of 12% more visitors in 2016 than in the previous year. 2017 is also looking hot for Queensland and the trend should continue growing.
Queensland Tourism Industry Council chief executive Daniel Gschwind said that: “We have shortages in cookery and for chefs and it’s very hard to get them. It’s tough for us and if we grow the industry as we hope to, skills shortages will occur.”
The Restaurant and Catering Association of Australia had already pointed out the problem at a national level on their website with some statistics and advice, where they say:
“Labour and skills shortages are significantly more pronounced in the restaurant and cafe industry than any other tourism sub-sector, with 81 per cent of restaurant and cafe businesses identifying skills deficiencies in potential staff, 12 percentage points above the national average. A further 71 per cent of businesses report recruitment difficulties – nearly double that of other sectors. The lack of access to skilled workers is the number one reason provided for recruitment difficulties”.
The association encourages members on their website to use the Subclass 457 Visa Program when they don’t find local workers to recruit, and hire overseas workers instead.
To be able to apply for a 457 Sponsorship Visa as a Cook, Chef, Restaurant Manager, Cafe or Bar Manager, as well as positions in Hotels and other Tourism Operators, it is necessary to have minimum qualifications or a certain number of years of relevant work experience, and that varies from position to position.
Contact us on visas@bravomigration.com.au to find out if your qualifications and experience are suitable, and to discuss your job offer with us.
Erica Carneiro
Co-Founder, Director and Registered Migration Agent 0532487
