Chef Shortage – Australia

As with the rest of the world Australia has been hit hard by the skills shortage in the hospitality sector, with establishments such as the Orchard Hotel in Sydney offering a $5000 finders fee to help with finding a new head chef.

The NSW government is set to establish a think tank to help try and solve the ongoing problem.

With over 100,000 positions currently in need and no sign of a slowdown, business are turning to all kinds of strategies to try and fill there vacancies.

List of ways to search for chefs and cooks:

Gorilla advertising – Advertising on buses, bus stops, street signs

Social media – having a strong social media presence and using Chef groups

Job Boards – perhaps the oldest method, through seek.com.au and indeed.com

Visa Sponsorships – becoming a more common method and with the attractive lifestyle Australia has to offer perhaps one of the more effective methods

Direct head Hunting – visiting the competition with promotional business cards offering jobs

Recruitment agencies – maybe the most expensive option

Referral Bonus – Internal team member referral bonus and sign on bonus

Competitions and rewards – Advertising offering rewards to finding chefs and cooks