SMS a fast path to staff
Queensland’s retail and hospitality industries are losing millions of dollars because fluctuating hours and seasonal cycles are making it hard to attract casual staff. Retailers Association’s executive director Scott Driscoll says the demand for retail workers is so high due to the inconstant nature of the business, forcing a change in the way workers are recruited. Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show that there were more than 28,500 retail vacancies across Australia at the end of last year, which is 10,000 up from 2006. Careerone.com.au lists more than 2200 retail jobs Australia-wide, with more than 600 of them in Queensland—mainly for non-management retail workers. Almost 50 per cent of Australia’s retail workforce (1,490,900) are employed part-time while a growing percentage work casually. Driscoll, whose QRTSA has 3000 members, including the independently owned IGA, Foodworks and Retravision stores, says many small businesses are left stranded if someone calls in sick at short notice. Brisbane-based website Ployme is a fully automated skills matching casual employment SMS powered site. Chief executive Matt Kesby, who previously owned the Brisbane Powerhouse Theatre’s Watt Restaurant, says it had been progressively getting harder to attract staff. He says for the last four years of his tenrue there, he rarely had a full roster of 50 staff. The Courier Mail (Brisbane), March 1.
Queensland’s retail and hospitality industries are losing millions of dollars because fluctuating hours and seasonal cycles are making it hard to attract casual staff. Retailers Association’s executive director Scott Driscoll says the demand for retail workers is so high due to the inconstant nature of the business, forcing a change in the way workers are recruited. Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show that there were more than 28,500 retail vacancies across Australia at the end of last year, which is 10,000 up from 2006. Careerone.com.au lists more than 2200 retail jobs Australia-wide, with more than 600 of them in Queensland—mainly for non-management retail workers. Almost 50 per cent of Australia’s retail workforce (1,490,900) are employed part-time while a growing percentage work casually. Driscoll, whose QRTSA has 3000 members, including the independently owned IGA, Foodworks and Retravision stores, says many small businesses are left stranded if someone calls in sick at short notice. Brisbane-based website Ployme is a fully automated skills matching casual employment SMS powered site. Chief executive Matt Kesby, who previously owned the Brisbane Powerhouse Theatre’s Watt Restaurant, says it had been progressively getting harder to attract staff. He says for the last four years of his tenrue there, he rarely had a full roster of 50 staff. The Courier Mail (Brisbane), March 1.
