Australian worker shortage: Businesses offer odd perks to bring employees in

Australian businesses are offering insane perks to lure in new employees.

Business owner Avi Efrat from Fantastic Framing said he offers employees skydiving sessions, racetrack laps in sports cars, fancy dinners and luxury weekend getaways to build ‘loyalty’ and entice new workers.

Mr Efrat said he has seen applicant numbers dwindle in recent months, and with three stores opening this year, he’s desperate for workers.

‘In the past, I would put an ad up looking for an employee, and in a week or two, I would have thirty emails applying,’ he told Daily Mail Australia. ‘It would take two to three weeks to hire someone, now it takes six to eight weeks.’

Fantastic Framing Avi Efrat (pictured wearing blue with employees) said he offers workers laps in sports cars and luxury getaways to build ‘loyalty’

Mr Efrat believes the government’s hardline border closure and welfare schemes during Covid have driven away hundreds of vital immigrant and local workers.

‘When Covid hit, it was very dramatic, and everyone got nervous, no one wanted to come into work,’ he said.

‘Then money kept rolling in from the government with Job Seeker and Job Keeper, and everyone got lazy. No one wants to work.

‘Immigrant workers couldn’t come over during Covid, and then Covid finished, but Australia stayed closed until March.

‘It’s getting easier, but it’s still not the same as before Covid.’

So, Mr Efrat holds onto his employees by offering unique benefits that create a ‘fun environment’.

‘Christian, who went skydiving, has been with us for five years,’ he said.

‘It’s a good strategy to invest in employees. Loyalty means profit.

‘It’s hard to recruit people, but if you keep employees happy, they stay for a long time.’

Junee Licorice and Chocolate Factory, Australia’s largest organic chocolate manufacturer, offers its employees a lifetime supply of chocolate.

Junee Licorice and Chocolate Factory offer employees a lifetime supply of chocolate (pictured, owners Neil and Rhiannon Druce)

Co-owner Rhiannon Druce said she noticed applications plummeted after the first Covid lockdown.

‘Six months before Covid started, we put a job ad on our social media and received more than 600 resumes in a day,’ she said.

‘We did a similar ad after the first lockdown and had two or three applications.

‘When we called them none actually wanted the job, they were just fulfilling the job search requirement to stay on Job Seeker.’

But Ms Druce said Covid isn’t the only thing driving applicants away with more people wanting to work less, start their own businesses or work unconventional jobs – like online blogging.

‘There’s a lot of layers on why the workforce has changed since Covid,’ she said.

‘A lot of people opted to cut back their income so they could focus on lifestyle, not as many people want a nine-to-five life anymore.

‘It’s not a bad thing but it puts pressure on industries like hospitality.

‘Everyone stills wants the ‘brunch to lunch’ life, but no one wants to hear their meal is going to take 45 minutes because the venue’s understaffed.’

Other Aussie businesses offering employees unusual perks include McCabes Lawyers in Sydney who offer free breakfast on Fridays, Melbourne cafe group Only Hospitality who give free rent to staff on the Mornington Peninsula and The Smile Factory dental group who offer a free year’s gym membership to all of their staff.

Head of Product and Sales at My Business Phil Parisis (above) said a lack of qualified workers in Australia will be the biggest challenge for small businesses in 2023

Head of Product and Sales at My Business, the country’s largest business organisation, Phil Parisis, said hiring and keeping quality staff is the biggest problem facing small and medium business owners in 2023.

‘For many small businesses who managed to survive Covid, these ongoing staffing shortages are the final straw,’ he said.

‘Whether it be being forced to reduce opening hours, having to put growth plans on hold or being unable to keep up with customer demand, the labour skills shortage is having a huge impact on workplaces across the country.

‘A recent survey of our members found 77 per cent of them have found the quality of job applicants average or below for the advertised role. They’re struggling to find the right people.’

Among the industries at the highest risk of suffering from crippling staff shortages are hospitality, retail, transport and construction.

‘As a small business owner, recruitment can be overwhelming,’ he said.

‘Not only does it feel like larger organisations have a greater pull power and the ability to outbid workers, but there’s also the additional responsibility of having to correctly onboard new staff and ensure everything is above board.’