Benefits of jobs in tourism and hospitality to mature-age West Australians
Engaging mature-age workers in the tourism and hospitality industry
Experience, efficiency, reliability and diversity are a few of the many assets mature-age workers can bring to tourism and hospitality businesses in Western Australia.
Tourism WA's new workforce campaign highlights these benefits and seeks to connect mature-age West Australians to vacant jobs in the state's tourism and hospitality sectors.
The B2B and B2C campaign also highlights the flexible hours, work bonus and training opportunities available to mature-age workers who remain in (or return to) the workforce, including in the tourism and hospitality sectors.
The WA Government campaign is an initiative of Tourism WA's Tourism Workforce Development Program and drives traffic to a dedicated page on westernaustralia.jobs, which showcases industry job profiles and career stories of mature-age workers and highlights the Commonwealth and state incentives and support available to employers and mature-age employees.
Job roles highlighted throughout the campaign include:
- Tour Guide/Tour Hosts
- Coach/Transport Drivers
- Accommodation Workers
- Holiday Park Managers
- Chefs and Kitchen Hands
- Food and Beverage Hosts
- Volunteer Hosts
Incentives and support for businesses to employ mature-age workers
Commonwealth support:
- Workforce Australia services wage subsidy - Financial incentive (up to $10,000 GST inclusive) to encourage businesses to hire and retain mature-age employees who are 50 years and over.
- Skills and training incentive - Provides up to $2,200 (GST inclusive) to jointly fund training to help your employee build skills to remain in the workforce longer.
- Training for employers - Practical resources to assist you with
employing and retaining mature-age workers.
- Self-assessment tool - Determine how effectively your
organisation manages mature age workers and create an action plan to help your
organisation set goals relating to age diversity.
Visit the Department of Employment and
Workplace Relations’ Mature Age Workers Hub for more information on
Federal Government assistance for employers.
Benefits of employing mature-age workers
Mature-age workers can make a valuable contribution to your business and bring resilience, work and life experiences to help your staff relate
to a variety of people. Diversity in the workplace also improves productivity,
competitiveness and customer service.
There are many benefits of employing mature-age workers:
- Age
diversity is good for business and organisation longevity. When we support
mature-age workers, our workplaces are more productive, experienced and
reliable, and mature-age workers can be adaptable to change, flexible, and
resilient.
- Businesses
prosper on experience. Mature-age workers can bring extensive knowledge, life
skills and work experience to an organisation.
- Mature-age workers can elevate an entire workplace. They have qualifications,
technical abilities and transferable skills forged over many years.
- Mature-age workers have a positive influence in workplaces. They can enhance team
performance by providing mentoring and coaching.
- Intergenerational
workforces can improve the efficiency of an entire business. It can make a
business proficient, skilled and approachable.
- Mature-age workers are reliable, level headed and have a good work ethic. They are
positive and have honed their communication skills.
Visit the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations’ Mature Age Workers Hub to discover how
the valuable work and life experience, knowledge and skills of mature-age
workers can contribute to your business.
You can also download the brochure Mature Age Employment - Age diversity is good for Business for more information.
Incentives available for mature-age workers
There are many benefits and incentives enticing mature-age West Australians to remain in the workforce and consider jobs in the tourism and hospitality industry:
- Work bonus - An incentive for eligible pensioners to keep more of their pension when they have income from work.
- Skills and training incentive - Advice and guidance to upskill and transition into new careers, and up to $2,200 in
Commonwealth Government funding toward the cost of vocational education and
training (VET) courses.
- Job Reconnect program - WA Government support for free training, career advice, job
placement assistance and up to $1,500 to cover work-related expenses.
- Chef apprenticeship support - Access financial support of up to $1,500
for pre-employment job ready expenditure with Hospitality Group Training.
How to connect with mature-age workers
There are ways
WA tourism and hospitality businesses can connect with this important potential workforce cohort:
For more information, please visit westernaustralia.jobs, and to be involved with our Tourism Workforce Development Program initiatives, please email workforce@westernaustralia.com to express your interest.