Barcats estimates the hospitality industry has lost about 55,000 staff over the past two years. Photo / Getty Images
Barcats estimates the hospitality industry has lost about 55,000 staff over the past two years. Photo / Getty Images
A hospitality group says 30,000 more staff are needed to keep bars, restaurants, cafes and hotels open in the upcoming busy summer months.
The warning came amid new debate over wages and working conditions, and a pledge from the Immigration Minister to speed up work visa processes for chefs.
Withouttens of thousands of new recruits, New Zealand's $10.7 billion hospitality industry could face closing its doors for up to three days a week, offering limited menus and serving wait times of up to 25 per cent longer.
Jeffrey Williams, chief executive of Barcats, a digital hospitality recruitment platform, said the industry contracted by a third and lost approximately 55,000 staff in the past two years.
Hospitality was grappling with a national staff shortage as it rebuilt after Covid-19 restrictions and lockdowns.
Barcats modelling, generated from compiling vacancies in hospitality, tourism and aged-care businesses, showed 30,000 staff are needed by Christmas.
Baristas were in hot demand, with more than 3000 vacancies listed nationwide, approximately 1500 in Auckland alone.
There were more than 400 vacancies for chefs in Auckland, 650 for bartenders and bar staff nationwide, 600 for general wait staff, 300 for kitchen staff, 600 management and maître d roles and almost 2000 housekeeping roles.
To put those staff shortages into context, Williams said the number of staff needed was double the amount of people serving in New Zealand's Defence Force.
"It has been a long and challenging few years for this sector and we are desperate to see pubs and clubs, bars and restaurants, cafes and hotels thriving again. But the reality is, if we don't get workers back, customers will suffer," Williams told the Herald.
Customers faced a 25 per cent increase in wait times, reservation unavailability, increased costs, limited menus and opening hours and a decline in service quality, he added.
This summer's planned events included the Women's Rugby World Cup in Auckland, the Wanaka Beer Festival, Christchurch's Wine & Food Festival, Rhythm & Alps, and concerts including Snoop Dogg, George Ezra, Guns N' Roses and Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Williams said the season was anticipated to be the industry's "biggest summer of all time" but that could prove problematic if not enough staff could be secured.
"People want to get out and celebrate, whether that be their 21st birthday, weddings to formals and dinners."
The industry had never had this many vacancies, he added.
"If we don't fill these gaps, when you want to go out on a Monday or Tuesday night, venues will be closed because they don't have enough staff to be able to open or the Viaduct in Auckland at the moment on a Sunday. The crowds are coming back but venues are struggling to support them."
Williams put the mass shortages down to a staff exodus from the industry when Covid hit, with a significant number of hospitality staff seeking employment in other industries.
A shortage of migrant workers was also a factor. Backpackers and working holiday visa holders were starting to return, but not quickly enough, he said.
Williams said the Government was not doing enough to let international workers return.
He said many people sitting on tourist visas would love to call New Zealand home.
Barcats CEO Jeffrey Williams with students Katherine Golchin and Oliver Macdonagh. Photo / Supplied
Hospitality operators were trying all tricks to secure new hires, through sign-on bonuses covering visa and relocations costs, and competitive staff benefits, Williams said.
But he said the industry needed to work harder to appeal to younger students and over-50-year-olds if it was to meet the required number of summertime staff.
Some hospitality industries overseas, such as Singapore, had a large workforce of older workers and the same could be possible here, he said.
"We're encouraging our venues to rethink about the amazing 22-year-old Brazilians that they used to be great employees that could easily be a fabulous 55-year-old."
Barcats had partnered with the Ministry of Social Development to get more people taking up roles within the industry. It was also working with some large employers such as Lion and Nestlé to put together mass training programmes.
In Australia, Barcats estimates the hospitality industry lost about 200,000 staff in the past two years, about 150,000 of those backpackers and people on working holiday visas.
On Sunday, Immigration Minister Michael Wood said he and his colleagues were listening to the tourism and hospitality sectors.
He said he agreed that removing a qualification requirement for chefs to be hired through an accredited employer work visa would let top chefs come to New Zealand.
"The requirement for chefs to hold a New Zealand Certificate of Cookery (Level 4) or equivalent qualification was introduced to reduce risks of wage and job inflation in these roles," the minister added.
The changes take effect from next Tuesday, October 18.
Meanwhile, Unite union said the major issues facing the industry were wages and working confitions, and it was launching a campaign this week about those topics.
"We hear constantly about how there is a labour shortage in hospo, just yesterday in fact, but what the industry needs to do to attract workers is lift wages and conditions," Unite national secretary John Crocker said today.
"The industry has had forever to do this, and it simply hasn't. Establishing a fair pay agreement for hospo workers is the single biggest thing we can do to make improvements."
