Skills and workforce shortages across regional Australia are restricting business recovery post easing of Covid restrictions, Australian Regional Tourism says.
The regional tourism industry called on the Federal Government to step up and deliver a National Framework to address skills and workforce shortages to enable a tourism recovery.
Australian Regional Tourism Chair, Coralie Bell said "The regional tourism industry has been calling on the Federal Government to address skills and workforce shortages since 2017, warning that there will soon be a breaking point."
"We have states reporting that some regions are expecting record numbers on the easing of Covid restrictions, while industry is reporting they can’t open their doors because they don’t have staff." said Bell.
"Our industry is facing the largest national skills and workforce shortage in living memory. This was true before Covid and it remains so now, more than ever. We may have visitors in some towns, but many businesses won’t have staff to serve them food or their clean rooms.".
"Effective leadership is needed to pull states and territories together and face our way out of this pandemic as one country" Bell added.
