LONDON/SYDNEY/WASHINGTON — Faced with shortages of hospitality staff, Australia’s Queensland state wants to lure chefs, bartenders and tour guides to its sun-kissed beaches with a “Work In Paradise” scheme of one-off incentives and help with travel costs.
Once there, however, new arrivals shouldn’t expect big pay rises from local businesses whose margins are being battered by the need to keep prices low to win customers.
“Businesses are trying to cope with the (labor) shortage in different ways but we aren’t seeing industry-wide wage pressures,” said Daniel Gschwind, chief executive of the Queensland Tourism Industry Council.
In the …
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