Mature workers encouraged to explore careers in Tourism and Hospitality

A series of hospitality and tourism recruitment initiatives, supported by the Western Australian Government through Tourism Western Australia, are being rolled out to encourage those aged 45 years and older to consider taking up roles in the industry.

This includes a Tourism and Hospitality Connect event being held by Tourism WA today at Perth Town Hall connecting mature age job seekers with employers.

With more than 80 participants registered to attend, the event will provide an insight into potential job opportunities and showcase the benefits of working in the sector.

The event and wider campaign activity is aimed at mature aged jobseekers and is supported by the WA Government to address skills shortages in the industry and support the development and growth of local businesses.

Training and upskilling incentives are available for the cohort of jobseekers aged 45 years and over who are considering working in tourism and hospitality roles.

This includes free training and job placement assistance through the WA Government's Job Reconnect Program, as well as up to $1,500 to cover work-related costs such as equipment and uniforms.

Additionally, WA tourism operators and businesses are being encouraged to recruit mature age employees through a range of State and Commonwealth Government incentives.

This latest campaign and event builds on the significant investment that the WA Government has made to workforce attraction initiatives being implemented by Tourism WA through the Tourism Workforce Development Program.

This includes funding short-term programs to address the current shortage of workers, while also building a pipeline of talent for the future.

Launched in May 2022 and developed in partnership with the Australian Hotels Association WA, westernaustralia.jobs is the dedicated tourism and hospitality jobs, training and careers workforce portal, and a one-stop shop for job seekers and career seekers looking for opportunities throughout the State.

Employers in tourism and hospitality are encouraged to advertise their job vacancies on the westernaustralia.jobs portal to connect with prospective employees.

The roll out of WA's initiatives follows the Australian Government's announcement of offering State and Territory governments and tourism bodies a share of $7.5 million for programs to attract workers to the tourism industry.

The Choose Tourism program is among a number of Federal Government measures, working in partnership with industry, aimed at helping to address workforce shortages across the tourism sector.

Grants under the program will enable the states and territories to develop new programs and campaigns, extend existing activities to attract new workers, and ensure they have the skills to deliver quality tourism experiences for our visitors.

Federal Minister for Trade and Tourism Don Farrell said Tourism Ministers around the country are united in their commitment to return Australia's visitor economy to pre-COVID expenditure levels of $166 billion by 2024, and grow it to $230 billion by 2030.

Minister Farrell advised “Choose Tourism grants will fund a range of activities including jobs expos, mentoring, targeted media campaigns, and specific industry training.

“Attracting workers to the visitor economy, including young people, older workers, those with disabilities and First Nations people, will give more people the chance to get a job and pursue a career in what is a diverse and dynamic sector.”

The Choose Tourism grants program complements a national campaign being delivered by Austrade to encourage eligible pensioners and other older Australians to take advantage of the temporary change to the Work Bonus by joining the tourism workforce. That campaign includes a free business information kit to assist tourism businesses to attract older workers and benefit from their skills and experience.

These programs are part of the Government's $48 million commitment to support the Australian tourism and travel industry to upskill workers, support quality tourism products and deliver infrastructure upgrades.