You Just Can't Find The Staff These Days

Sydney Morning Herald

Friday February 15, 2008

Yuko Narushima

AS THE part-owner of a busy Surry Hills eatery, Matthew Beckwith, 34, is feeling the brunt of a tight labour market.

When he and his wife Alex Rigas, 37, ran a job ad for the Lion Corner Cafe they run together, the pair received just two responses. And when the candidates were asked to come in, no one showed up.

"There is no staff. Simple as that, there's none," he said.

The couple's experience is that of many inner-city businesses struggling to attract workers with unemployment low.

Ms Rigas did not know why their three-day newspaper ad for a barista and waitperson failed to attract interest. They were offering $20 an hour and were willing to train the right person.

"What else are they looking for? I wish they could tell me," Ms Rigas said. "I can't even find a backpacker."

She said the positions, each about 30 hours a week, were not demanding.

"It's taking orders, jumping on the coffee machine if they need to, cleaning tables; easy stuff."

But Mr Beckwith had a few theories. He said young people lacked the basic skills needed to work in hospitality, and workers were drifting into office jobs instead.

"Young people nowadays don't have any common sense," he said. "Most of them can't even pick a broom up to clean the floor. And simple skills, like actually saying hello to a person when they walk in the door, they just don't seem to get it.

I think people just want tosit in front of a computer nowadays,"

© 2008 Sydney Morning Herald

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