Restaurateurs and caterers are 7% underemployed and suffer extreme shortages in occupations such as; Cooks, Chefs, Waiters and restaurant and catering managers.

Restaurant & Catering Australia, the peak national association representing the interests of Australia's 37,700 restaurateurs and caterers supports the ALPs announcement of 'Skills Australia'.

President, Con Castrisos, said that ‘Skills Australia provides some real hope that a Rudd Government has a commitment to understanding the skills and labour shortage that we face in this country'.

Castrisos went on to say that whilst it might be too late to achieve Skills Australia first objective of ‘identifying future skills shortages, so they can be addressed before they negatively impact on economic activity', the announced commitment examines barriers that prevent skills formation in areas where persistent skills shortages exist is most welcome.

John Hart, Chief Executive of Restaurant & Catering Australia said that ‘in an industry where every restaurant could take on another staff member at any point in time the labour and skills shortage is biting very hard'. He went on to say that ‘Skills Australia is an important acknowledgement that the people shortage is a real issue for Australia'.

The restaurant and catering industry employs over 250,000 Australians and is one of the fastest growing labour markets in Australia. Hospitality businesses have the highest proportion of trainees and apprentices by number of employees.

The industry has a huge thirst for training and education to quench the growth and labour intensity of the industry.