Chefs made migration priority as national skill shortage hits Wagga hard

This week, chefs along with 21 other occupations were added to the Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List, more than doubling the number of occupations included.

Workers whose professions are included on the list are prioritised for Australian visas in a scheme designed to mitigate a recognised shortfall of qualified candidates in a particular field.

In Wagga, trained chefs have been in hot demand for at least 18 months, with some venues advertising for a chef for almost one year without filling roles.

Manager of The Brew Emily Podmore said the corner cafe counts themselves extremely lucky to have secured skilled chefs days before they opened last August.

"We opened during COVID and at that time it was really hard to find staff," she said. "It was just luck that three days before we opened we found our head chef but without him we would be struggling to fill that spot."

Ms Podmore said that if they were to lose their chef Troy Scammell, finding a replacement in the current climate would be almost impossible.

"There's pretty much no chefs available in Wagga," she said.

Troy, who started with The Brew after relocating to Wagga from the Mornington Peninsula last year said demand for chefs continues to outstrip supply in the city.

"In scoping out the other hospitality businesses in town, pretty much in the last year I've seen every single one of them advertise for a chef," he said. "There's definitely more work then there are skilled staff."

Wagga Business Chamber's Serena Hardwick said she was aware of at least 15 chef positions currently being advertised in Wagga, but predicts the number is probably far higher.

"We've heard from a number of restaurants struggling," Ms Hardwick said. "Workers have to work night after night in their jobs to cater for the lack of staff. Hospitality in general has been hit really hard in the last year."

Several businesses who asked not to be named confirmed they have struggled to fill kitchen positions for months, in some cases as long as a year passing before they were able to secure a skilled worker.

Ms Hardwick said part of the reason for the dip in chefs is the pandemic, as well as award rates needing to be updated.

"For chefs and baristas, the award hasn't been reviewed for quite awhile and it is not reflective of the industry at the moment," Ms Hardwick said. "There needs to be some changes."

"Pay is one thing that the whole industry needs to look at. It should reflect that these are professional careers."

However, the uncertainty of work during COVID has also played a part, and most agreed prioritising migrants who can work as trained chefs will be well received in Wagga.

"There's definitely room for it, absolutely ," Mr Scamell said.

"The skilled migrant status would definitely be welcomed," Ms Hardwick agreed.

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