Skills shortage returns “with a vengeance”

by Mat Churchill

As the economic climate improves, more travel and tourism jobs are becoming available, but the number of suitable candidates to fill these positions is limited, a report from Travel Today outlined.

Companies who needed to shed staff during the Global Financial Crisis are now struggling to find the right people for their vacancies, mainly because their previous staff have gone on to find new employment.

InPlace Recruitment managing director, Sandra Chiles, said “From an employment perspective job vacancies have risen across all sectors of travel and tourism. Companies who had no choice but to let staff go last year have found that they needed to replace those jobs quickly. However those staff who had been retrenched last year have in most cases found other jobs so the hunt for new entrants has begun.”

From all accounts this doesn’t seem to be the case in Port Douglas with many tour operators and business owners commenting on how quiet the town has been up until this point.

Doug Ryan from Tourism Port Douglas and Daintree believes the transition of skilled staff from the Port Douglas region to other areas has already occurred. “I think we’ve already gone through that stage at the end of last year, and those who are here now are likely to stay.” he said.

If you’re in the tourism industry as an employer or employee, let us know your experience and opinion on whether this report is a true reflection of the Port Douglas situation.