Staff hard to find

Businesses struggling

BUSINESSES are struggling to stay a float as the region continues to battle staff shortages, with one popular business claiming a mental shift could be partially to blame.

Fitzy’s Toowoomba marketing manager Anita Armanasco said the business was used to a stream of resumes flowing through the door, however after Covid, were “lucky to get a few”.

“Covid changed the goalposts. People’s lives were turned upside down,” she said.

“People like chefs and waitresses, we can’t work from home, and they got a taste of home life.”

Recent data by the Australia Bureau of Statistics claimed 45.3 per cent of accommodation and food service businesses reported job vacancies in November 2022, an increase from 42.5 per cent three months earlier.

Meanwhile, 28.3 per cent of Queensland businesses had reported job vacancies, a jump from two years prior with only 12.9 per cent.

“I think a lot of people rethought their careers, and with hospitality … it does take you away from your family and friends,” Mrs Armanasco said.

“I don’t know if they got lazy or changed their priorities … probably both. Life is just looked on differently since Covid.”

Mrs Armanasco said while the business had started to see the “light at the end of the tunnel”, a slump in incoming work-visa employees meant they lacked additional options when filling roles.

Latest figures show 77.1 per cent of vacancies were due to replacements or resignations, with 44 per cent claiming increased workload as a contributing reason.

Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce executive officer Lucas Wegener said business sustainability was on the mind of owners who were unable to fill ongoing vacancies. As a result, companies were facing decreased productivity, staff burnout and loss of business.

“Businesses are struggling to meet customer demands, leading to decreased productivity and lower turnover,” Mr Wegener said.

“Existing staff are overworked and stretched thin, causing increased stress, burnout, and an increase in mental health issues.

“With inadequate staffing, some businesses are seeing a drop in the quality of service or product they provide, as when staff are overworked, they are likely to make mistakes and lose repeat business.”

Toowoomba Regional Council finance and business strategy portfolio leader councillor Kerry Shine said all industries across the nation were experiencing an extremely tight labour market, and the Toowoomba region was no different.

“Toowoomba, as a whole, needs to play to our strengths to attract the very best candidates to the region,” Mr Shine said.