Prominent pub company to offer $1000 sign-on bonuses due to Melbourne-wide staff shortages
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15.12.2020

Prominent pub company to offer $1000 sign-on bonuses due to Melbourne-wide staff shortages

Image by Patrick Tomasso
Words by Tom Parker

The Melbourne hospitality industry is currently experiencing a staff shortage crisis.

Now that Melbourne’s hospitality industry has reopened and is back to operating near its full capacity, the customer demand on pubs, cafes, bars and restaurants has skyrocketed.

During the lockdown, venues would have had to lay off staff because they couldn’t afford to pay their wages – remembering that much of the hospitality industry is made up of casual workers, many of whom weren’t aided by the federal government’s financial support schemes.

As the lockdown endured, many of these workers may have looked elsewhere for work, stripping away the insurance policy a venue might’ve had when it comes to reopening its doors. The international employee contingent has dropped too as many internationals were forced to return home at the advent of the pandemic because they weren’t eligible for the government subsidies.

And when venues recommenced their recruitment drive in light of the easing of restrictions, there hasn’t been the same employee interest as there has been in previous years.

This has created a staff shortage crisis which has seen some venues reduce their trading hours to ensure they’re not run off their feet.

In order to incentivise a career in hospitality and to get workers back on the floor, prominent hospitality group Australian Venue Co. is offering bonuses up to $1000 to prospective employees.

As reported by The Age and 7NEWSthe opportunity extends Australia-wide to any of the company’s 150 venues around the country.

“We know everyone’s a bit short given the six-month shutdown for the industry,” Australian Venue Co. CEO Paul Waterson told 7NEWS. “So we thought by offering $1000 up front that might help pay a few of those bills.”

This means that anyone who accepts a shift at one of Australian Venue Co.’s venues will be eligible for a $1000 sign-on bonus.

This applies to any of the following Melbourne venues: the Auburn Hotel in Hawthorn, College Lawn in Prahran, the CBD’s European Bier Cafe, Fargo and Co in Richmond, Golden Gate Hotel in South Melbourne, St Kilda’s Newmarket Hotel, the Middle Park Hotel and the Imperial South Yarra.

To find out more about the job opportunities available at Australian Venue Co., head to their website

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