Restaurant & Catering Association spotlights skill shortages and calls for national workforce strategy

With the national hospitality workforce shortage worsening as winter approaches, the Restaurant & Catering Association has shared its position on the use of surcharges to protect small business viability.

Venues across regional and metro areas are reporting significant rostering gaps.

According to the Restaurant & Catering Association (R&CA), some operators are now trading at reduced capacity, turning away bookings, and temporarily shutting services to avoid burnout or service failures.

John Hart OAM, National President of R&CA notes “the labour shortage is no longer an emerging issue - it’s here, it’s structural, and it’s hurting businesses.”

While international student and working holiday numbers have returned to pre-COVID levels, operators say the domestic pipeline remains broken, and immigration pathways continue to be slow to deliver.

R&CA is calling for:

• National workforce strategy for hospitality

• Priority visa processing for high-need occupations

• Youth and retraining programs focused on job entry

The Restaurant & Catering Association is the national industry body representing over 57,000 cafés, restaurants and catering businesses across Australia. R&CA advocates on behalf of its members to the government, supports industry development, and champions a sustainable and prosperous hospitality sector.