Plagued by skills shortages, businesses in the remote East Kimberley town of Kununurra are depending on a special migration scheme to attract staff.
Kununurra fast-food restaurant owner Raymond Gwatidzo, pictured with his wife Faith, faces chronic staffing shortages that limit his ability to meet demand.
The Ewin Early Learning Centre, down the road from Kicky’s Takeaway, has 86 places but is running at roughly 50 per cent capacity because of staff shortages. The childcare centre has applied for four new workers through DAMA, but general manager Amanda Ireland says in a perfect world she would hire another 10.Ms Ireland said Kununurra businesses faced great difficulty attracting new workers because of the remoteness of the town, a transient population, and a higher-than-average cost of living. This meant sign-on bonuses or travel subsidies often did not help.
“The reality is that we’re having to bring in foreign workers. Otherwise, we cannot fill the vacancies.”East Kimberley Chamber of Commerce chief executive Clare Smith said the region had 109 DAMA positions on its list, in roles that ranged from construction to beauty therapy, but focused on tourism, hospitality and agriculture.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Another soggy spring ahead for the east, according to the BOM's latest outlookThe potential La Niña is getting a lot of airtime heading into spring but the humble negative IOD is already in full swing.
Read more »
Wong heads to Dili as East Timor plays China card on offshore gasPenny Wong's first visit to Timor as foreign minister comes as President Jose Ramos-Horta plans his own trip to Australia to meet PM Anthony Albanese. auspol EastTimor
Read more »
Black ice closes major roads as snow falls on south-eastBREAKING: Snow and black ice have closed the Great Western Highway in Katoomba, causing major delays. Gabrielle_Boyle 9News LATEST:
Read more »
Wong heads to Dili as East Timor plays China card on offshore gasPenny Wong’s first visit to Timor as foreign minister comes as President Jose Ramos-Horta plans his own trip to Australia to meet PM Anthony Albanese.
Read more »
Major highway reopens after being frozen over for hoursA cold snap has seen snow fall across parts of NSW, with black ice causing hazardous conditions on a major highway this morning. sophie_walsh9 9News MORE:
Read more »
Major highway reopens after being frozen over for hoursTemperatures plunged overnight as an extreme cold front moved east. 9News
Read more »