A Queenstown staff shortage is putting huge pressure on the resort’s businesses, a survey confirms.
A Queenstown Chamber of Commerce-commissioned questionnaire, which received 323 responses, was undertaken by Massey University and Auckland Knowledge Exchange Hub earlier this year.
It focused on the year to February 2016 but chamber chief executive Ann Lockhart said the problems remained eight months on.
"The feedback we’ve received since is that it’s still difficult, especially to find skilled staff," she said.
"Summer will prove a big challenge for a good number of businesses in terms of finding staff."
The survey found 86% of business owners and managers had too few workers.
Staffing headaches had also driven one anonymous shop owner completely out of business.
Survey respondents complained of stress, having to pay higher wages, and lower morale for employees, increasing staff turnover, inability to complete work on time and working unwanted hours themselves.
At least 17 Queenstown food premises are advertising this week to fill chef positions and more still are looking for front-of-house staff.
Southern Lakes Restaurant Association boss Grant Hattaway, who has Pier 19 and Blue Kanu restaurants, said Queenstown was an expensive place to do business and the resort’s chefs were fairly well paid.
"The rates of pay have climbed and that comes off the bottom line of the restaurants, as the customers are not prepared to pay more," Mr Hattaway said.
Affordable accommodation was the main barrier identified in the survey, prompting the chamber to hold meetings with businesses, developers, land-owners and construction firms.
Ms Lockhart said several worker accommodation projects are on the drawing board.
"Appropriate accommodation is the answer to a lot of this."
Some could be joint projects, or employers could commit to leases in yet-to-be-built apartment developments.
Chefs topped the needed-workers list, followed by sales assistants, housekeepers, waiters, managers, plasterers and accommodation or hospitality managers.
Firms were also short of drivers, clerks, legal professionals and financial brokers.
- Paul Taylor
