Position vacant signs are commonplace in the windows of cafés and shops the county over.
Jaimi Nuttall has worked every day for the past month in her role as the general manger and licensee of the White Horse Hotel in inner-city Sydney.
Ms Nuttall said that business was still subdued at the pub, a situation she put down to the run of bad weather this year and COVID-19 changing the drinking habits of younger patrons. “Because people aren’t spending money like they were before, we can’t offer the same hours that we typically would have previously. But, again, everyone who’s been working for us, who’s our core staff, they get all the hours that want really. It’s just finding people on those Friday, Saturdays who are aware they are only expected to work Fridays and Saturdays.
There was also a ‘position vacant’ sign at the Chilli Coral gift shop, located nine shops away from the White Horse Hotel.Owner Dianne Yeung said she was working more because she had struggled to replace staff members who had left during the pandemic.