Christchurch baby boomers signing up to work in hospitality more than ever before

Christchurch has experienced an 875 per cent increase in over 50's signing up to work in hospitality. Photo / 123rf

The number of Christchurch baby boomers signing up to work in the hospitality industry has skyrocketed over the last six months.

Data from Barcats, a hospitality platform which connects venues to job seekers, shows Christchurch has experienced the highest increase in over 50's signing up to work in pubs, clubs, restaurants and cafes.

Christchurch has experienced an 875 per cent increase, followed by Auckland with a 325 per cent increase.

There has been a 550 per cent national increase in over 50's signing up for work in the hospitality industry.

CEO and founder of Barcats, Jeffrey Williams, said he thinks the increase is a result of Covid-19.

"I think most people thought that hospitality is just for young people or travellers.

"One of the things we've seen as we've reopened hospitality in Christchurch after the lockdown, is that actually when they want to start re-employing, the people they had just weren't there anymore."

Williams said venues are battling with staff shortages due to a lack of incoming backpackers and working holiday makers.

"Mature workers often have a strong work ethic and are super reliable and this is exactly what we need in the industry right now.

"Mature workers are going to play a key role in rebuilding our hospitality industry and more venues need to be flexible in their approach to hiring to make this work."

Wiliams said they will need to embrace the casualisation of the workforce and offer shorter shifts such as splitting the chef role into 2 or 3 jobs throughout the day.

"We're faced with a significant staff and skills shortage in the hospitality industry that will ultimately impact the number of businesses that will be able to re-open and sustain through the summer and Christmas periods."

"We're definitely seeing an increase in demand for hospitality staff with over 40 jobs listed in New Zealand in just the last couple of days.

"We currently have jobs available in Auckland, Christchurch, Richmond, Wanganui and we also just launched into Wellington."