The Hospo Ready initiative, launched by the Ministry of Social Development and the Restaurant Association, provides tailored job-seeking assistance for people wanting to work in hospitality.
It is designed to easily connect job seekers with employers and encourage them to take on workers who may not have prior hospitality experience
No 7 Balmac and The Esplanade owner Katrina Toovey said the shortage of skilled workers had been challenging for everyone.
Both businesses, which employed 100 people between them, had a lack of applicants, which meant she had asked some of her staff to work additional hours, Ms Toovey said.
This had put pressure on both them and their families.
"The barrier at the moment is having people apply for jobs in the first place," Ms Toovey said.
"We’re short on candidates, so that’s a challenge for us."
The hospitality industry made up a huge part of New Zealand’s economic wellbeing so required a massive workforce, she said.
Despite that, it was quite difficult for unskilled workers to get their foot in the door.
"Our industry is not always thought of as highly skilled, but you do have to have high skills to do the job," she said.
"It’s not something you learn quickly. It does take years and for people to work their way up they have to be patient as well.
"Not all people without experience are prepared to do that."
The ongoing support offered by the scheme would help unskilled labour enter the industry and get them settled, Ms Toovey said.
She saw it as an opportunity to support people joining the industry and to recruit extra workers.
"For my employees, I want them to have a good experience at work, which means they have enough people on with them so they can enjoy their job."
