REPORTAGE
Australia: faced with the shortage of workers, employers offer a hiring bonus
Audio 01:13
In a cafe in Melbourne, October 28, 2020 (Illustration image).
AP - Asanka Brendon Ratnayake
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
In Australia, a general labor shortage is holding back economic recovery.
Some employers are ready to do anything, to offer gold bridges to recruit, even for waiters and low-skilled positions.
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With our correspondent in Sydney
,
Grégory Plesse
It's lunchtime in this Italian restaurant located on the seafront. Its owner, with the approach of summer, is ready to do anything to recruit.
"
We want to immediately recruit more than 150 people, so much so that we are ready to offer them a hiring bonus of 4,500 dollars (3,500 euros)
", he says.
Bill Drakopoulos, the CEO of a group of 15 restaurants, does not do it out of altruism but because like the majority of employers in Australia, he is currently having great difficulty in recruiting.
Zero Covid strategy
This labor shortage, the consequence of a zero Covid strategy which resulted in the total closure of the country's borders for two years, the Australian government is perfectly aware of it.
Also to remedy this, it intends to raise immigration quotas by 25% next year, and welcome up to 200,000 foreigners a year.
“
It's a great initiative but I would like them to go even further.
We will continue to pressure the government to increase these quotas, hoping that many French people will come!
», greets Bill Drakopoulos.
To respond to the current crisis, the government will also hold a jobs summit next month.
The unemployment rate, at 3.5%, is at its lowest in 70 years in the country.
►Also read:
Australia: faced with the lack of manpower, visa fees for students will be reimbursed
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Australia
Employment and Labor