New South Wales is preparing to welcome 250 international students a fortnight from July with the move expected to boost the economy and benefit the hospitality industry.
Chef and Restaurateur Luke Mangan welcomed the move from the Berejiklian government and said he had been advertising for weeks on end for Australian workers, but said people didn't seem interested in jobs in the hospitality sector.
"Obviously people aren't wanting to take jobs in our industry; perhaps they're being rewarded elsewhere from government handouts, but our industry probably hasn't helped itself in the past with wage theft and things like that, long hours and unsociable hours," he said.
"But I think it's a great industry for young people to get into and we've got to push the government to get young kids to understand our industry better."
Lack of staff a real problem 04/05/2021|5min
Restaurateur Luke Mangan says business is good but he can only operate at 75 per cent due to the lack of staff.
“We were a seven day a week business, we are only doing five days a week at the moment,” Mr Mangan told Sky News.
“Some hotels are operating at about 75 per cent, restaurants and cafes operating at 75 per cent because we don’t have the staff.
“That’s a real problem.”
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‘Things are looking good’ for the Sydney hospitality industry as restrictions ease12/02/2021|7min
Restaurateur Luke Mangan says “things are looking good” for the hospitality industry in Sydney as restrictions ease, but it could still be a long time before venues are back to pre-COVID operating hours.
“With Valentine’s night falling on a Sunday we’ve got a full house, tonight we’ve got a full house and Saturday night as well,” he told Sky News.
“So, we’re very lucky to be back in this situation and you’ve really got to take your hat off to the government.