LABOUR shortages are crippling most industries across the state but few are feeling the pinch more than the hospitality sector, in particular country pubs.
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A limited amount of backpackers entering the country as well as the ongoing impacts of recent natural disasters, such as floods, have been identified as two of the major reasons for the countless job vacancies in bush pubs.
However, Australian Hotels Association NSW director of liquor and policing John Green believes there is light at the end of the tunnel based on the amount of pubs changing hands.
"Every year, we expect to see a reduction of 30-35 pubs in NSW alone but we have seen that trend ease a little bit in recent years," Mr Green said.
"What we have seen recently is city and country-based groups picking up a lot of new pubs right across NSW.
"I think they are really seeing the potential regional centres such as Tamworth, Wagga Wagga, Moree and Albury have to offer, which is great to see."
In the past 12 months alone, major organisations such as the Pub Group, the Knox Group and the Roache Group have purchased a number of pubs in regional areas.
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However, while Mr Green said it was promising to see investment in regional pubs, labour shortages meant there was a ceiling on growth.
"In my opinion, it feels like we have lost a generation of pub workers," he said.
"There are many programs to try and promote work in the sector, but there is still a long way to go to ensure we can continue to see this growth, particularly in regional areas."
One such group that has been expanding its rural hotel network is Harvest Hotels, which last week added Wagga Wagga's Victoria Hotel to its collection, which also includes Dubbo's Milestone Hotel and Tamworth's Courthouse Hotel.
"Expanding into country areas is nothing new for us," Harvest Hotels director Fraser Haughton said.
"Our strategy is absolutely focused on regional centres and we will continue to look at adding new pubs in the centres we are already in or find other centres to enter."
Mr Haughton said COVID was only one of the contributing factors to the closure of regional pubs
"I think what we've seen from a pub point of view, outside of the impacts of COVID, is the consolidation of pubs in regional towns," he said.
"Take Tamworth as an example, three to five years ago there may have been say 12 pubs, where as now there is eight to 10 pubs.
"Some of the smaller hotels that were bought by bigger operations were traditionally stripped of their assets, such as gaming machines, then resold for another purpose and that has been happening for quite a few years.
"So it's not strictly a COVID thing, but the pandemic has certainly presented plenty of challenges with one of the biggest being recruiting new staff."
As for Harvest Hotels' new pub, Mr Haughton said the company will take over the venue from the Waratah Hotel Group from Monday May 23.
"The Waratah Group has operated the pub exceptionally well for a number of years," he said.
"It's a staple of the town, and we eager to keep building on the quality work they've done to date."
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