On the 1st of December the state government announced several new marketing campaigns to attract overseas visitors and workers to the state:

• A campaign tailored to specifically address the skills shortage by attracting workers, such as backpackers for hospitality.
• A student attraction scheme will be in place to help international students choose WA as their place to study, including up to $1,500 in accommodation support for the first 5,000 students.
• A $65 million aviation fund, which will go towards re-establishing international and interstate flight routes that were disrupted by the pandemic, as well as targeting new routes including Germany, India, China and Vietnam.
• Incentives will also be offered to tourists, international students and workers in order to successfully compete with other global jurisdictions. This will include expanding the Stay and Play campaign, which offers discounts for those who stay in participating hotels, as well as vouchers for tours and experiences.
• An immediate additional $9 million funding boost to attract blockbuster international events to Perth and WA.
• $15 million to target business events to attract international conferences to Perth, an essential initiative to support CBD hotel occupancy as well as the hospitality industry.

​Read the full media statement 

Western Australian tourism company, Prendiville Group has purchased the former Fremantle Technical College.
​Plans include redeveloping part of the 2,400 square metre site to house a contemporary centre of excellence for hospitality management, which the Prendiville Group is seeking to partner with various institutions, to support hotels across the State, and create high-quality tourist experiences.
Short-term activation of the site will include opening a new alfresco food and beverage offering, with future potential for a hotel or student accommodation facility to front Norfolk Lane.
The sale will ensure that the State heritage-listed buildings, which are currently underutilised, will be restored and activated, making a positive contribution to the broader revitalisation of the Fremantle city centre.
Read the full ministerial media statement

The SEEK Employment Report for May 2020 shows month-on-month growth in the overall number of jobs advertised. While figures are still down compared to the same time last year (-52.5%), month-on-month growth in jobs advertised is 39.7%.
Hospitality & tourism outperformed all other sectors, with month-on-month job ads in the industry up 138%.
“We are encouraged to see industries which were hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic rebounding at a good pace”, says Kendra Banks, managing director, SEEK ANZ. “Authorities gave businesses the green light to restart their operations, resulting in increased hiring activity. Top jobs in the sector included chefs and cooks and front of house staff.”
SEEK Employment Report, May 2020

Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released on 5 May shows that the Accommodation and Food Services industry continues to be the most impacted by COVID-19, with a drop of around one in three paid jobs in the industry from mid-March to mid-April.

The Weekly Payroll Jobs and Wages in Australia estimates also showed that between 14 March and 18 April (the five weeks after Australia recorded its 100th confirmed COVID-19 case) total employee jobs decreased by 7.5%, while total wages paid by employers decreased by 8.2%.

Head of Labour Statistics at the ABS, Bjorn Jarvis, said: “The new data shows that jobs in Accommodation and food services worked by people aged 20-29 and people over 70 decreased the most (-40.8% and -43.7%).”  Read more