The Premium Debate: Subscribers weigh in on recruitment issues for hospitality and tourism sectors

The hospitality and tourism sectors are still struggling to fill positions in the lead up to the holiday season. Photo / 123RF

OPINION

Despite being pushed to the “brink” because of labour shortages and fears New Zealand’s visitor reputation could be tarnished, the hospitality and tourism sectors are hopeful the upcoming holiday season will be a prosperous one. In the Bay of Plenty, international visitor spend jumped by more than 900 per cent in one city as businesses “clawed” their way back from the “rollercoaster ride” of the last few years. Staffing shortages continue across the board. However, most businesses in the local attractions and activities space had managed to recruit seasonal staff.

Read the full story here: Hospitality and tourism sectors in permanent recruitment mode as holiday season looms

Have your say by going to bayofplentytimes.co.nz or rotoruadailypost.co.nz and becoming a Premium subscriber.

[I] just completed a two-week tour of Aotearoa/NZ and the shortages of staff are a huge embarrassment to our once five-star industry. At Franz Josef, not one restaurant was open in the main street to serve food during the day because of a lack of chefs and staff. The only place to buy food was the supermarket. Just a row of closed-up restaurants. This is just one destination of many having the same problems. They are crying out for help while the Government sits in urgency passing bills before next year’s election. This will never be forgotten by those who are involved in the tourism industry in any way shape or form.

- Tessa C

Reply to Tessa C: Tourism generates part-time, low-skilled jobs. Labour is scarce and free market principles are redirecting the labour to better-paying, full-time employment. You can’t get a mortgage on casual employment doing split shifts on rosters that change at the manager’s discretion. Meet the market or fail.

- Matt J

Why would they stay when they can get decent wages in Australia, lower cost of living, 10 per cent GST, minimum 10.5 per cent super (rising to 12 per cent by 2025), massive penal rates for work outside of hours or weekends. NZ is unfortunately a low-wage economy, always has been that way and always will be.

- Todd H

We had full employment before Covid, where did they all go? Certainly, they didn’t all go overseas. I’m confused about this one. Is it that people who were employed in these industries have not gone back to work so are now unemployed but not registered? All seem to blame Labour but what lies under the surface - where is the evidence? I think it has exposed bigger problems that have always been in existence well before Covid.

- Robert M

In response to Robert M: It’s hard to know for sure but (A) when you look at the millions of cones on the road that never seemed to be there say five years ago you wonder if some industries have been loaded with low-skilled workers and (B) there are a huge number of people on the job seeker, dole and sickness benefits [345,762 working-age people receiving a main benefit at the end the of September].

- James M

Why is anyone in NZ on an unemployment benefit when there is such a huge shortage of workers in so many sectors [170,037 working-age people receiving Jobseeker Support at end the of September]? Obviously, they are the ones who don’t want to work! Time for some tough love?

- David F

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