Staff shortage hits Wollongong restaurants, cafes

So far, not a single job seeker has responded.

Mr Ferri, who has owned the Figtree institution for the past 20 years, said he's never seen anything like the current dearth of staff.

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But Mr Ferri is not alone, chefs are some of the most in-demand workers across the entire economy, alongside civil engineers and registered nurses, according to data released by the federal government this week.

With the federal government's Jobs and Skills summit convening in Canberra next week, Mr Ferri said he hopes those assembled come up with ideas soon.

"To be honest, I've hit a blank," he said.

Prior to COVID, there was a natural attrition of staff in hospitality businesses, but Mr Ferri said many staff, particularly skilled staff such as chefs, left the industry during 2020 and 2021 and no one is replacing them.

"Kitchen staff that had been in hospitality for a while went, 'You know what, I've had enough of doing this,' and decided to move on," he said.

Previously a steady stream of backpackers, skilled migrants and new graduates swelled the ranks of hospitality staff each year. Mr Ferri is now down to one chef and himself when he previously would have employed four.

However, even as border restrictions have lifted, migrants are yet to return to Australia at pre-COVID numbers and hospitality has to compete with other industries that pay more and have more lifestyle-friendly hours.

"It's a tough industry, you're working nights and weekends, and those variables impact your social life," Mr Ferri said. "COVID was a trigger for them to say, 'Now's the time to try something new.'"

Across the industry as a whole, workforce numbers in the food and beverage sector fell from 818,900 to 575,400 from 2019 to 2020, according to the Australian Industry and Skills Committee.

This rapid drop in the workforce required for pubs, clubs, cafes and restaurants has necessitated new ways of serving customers, from QR codes on tables for ordering, dine-in restaurants swapping to takeaway only and cutting opening hours.

Tom Chiumento, of Night Parrot and previously Caveau, recently reopened Kembla Street wine bar The Throsby as Mia Mia, focusing on pasta and Italian wines.

While the wine list may have expanded, there are only a handful of dishes on the menu, a deliberate choice not only because of the small kitchen, but as a way to reduce costs and simplify staffing requirements.

Mr Chiumento said he would have liked to have pasta made in house, but costs and availability of staff meant that was not feasible.

"The industry is in serious trouble," he said. "Why would anyone want to give up their Friday and Saturday nights to go and earn minimum wage, when you can earn twice as much picking up bricks and moving them to the other side of a backyard?"

Mr Chiumento said one positive outcome is that the stereotype of the drill sergeant head chef, terrorising underlings had gone, replaced by a more supportive and respectful work environment in part due to the need to retain staff.

But, with prices of supplies increasing and consumers unwilling to spend big on nights out, there is little left over, forcing some hospitality businesses to the wall, just as life returns to dining precincts.

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A recent survey of businesses throughout NSW conducted by Business NSW found confidence in the Illawarra had fallen to -83.7 in the July quarter, worse than earlier in the year and the lowest in the state.

Illawarra businesses reported the most severe pressure on profit margins in the state, with an -81.6 measure. One in three businesses said they could not avoid major disruptions due to staff shortages.

"While we strongly and consistently support improving training and skills for Australians, our members are clearly telling us the Australian government needs to take immediate action on acute short-term skilled migration gaps," Business Illawarra executive director Adam Zarth said.

This was a sentiment echoed by RDA Illawarra's Debra Murphy, who said ahead of the Jobs Summit, all options needed to be on the table.

"Migration is part of the solution, but will not be the whole solution. There are also opportunities for place-based solutions to be developed which are bespoke and include training people now," she said.

While the debate rages nationally, Mr Ferri is looking closer to home. As one apprentice graduates into a chef, he's hoping to attract local school leavers.

"We had one young kid that did a work placement through school. He enjoyed it, which is a great head start and he's recently started as an apprentice."

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