In my role as the CEO of the Virtual Assistant Lead Network, Australia’s premier jobs board for connecting business owners with virtual support, I have spoken to – with no exaggeration – hundreds of small businesses seeking online business support. In most cases, they come to my skills marketplace looking for help when they’re already overwhelmed. 

This is not an ideal scenario for finding top-tier talent, given they’re making rushed decisions. When I’ve got such a person on my hands: frazzled, busy and uncertain of who to look for and how to spot them, I always defer to these top tips. It never fails them.

Picture your person, then write your role

In the same way you’d niche down your offering, apply this same theory to hiring. Picture exactly who would best meet your needs right now and in the future, and write for them.

For example, how many years of experience do they need? Did they do vocational training? Do they need to work well in a team, be a natural-born communicator, or get excited by working in the guts of data and systems?

This process may open your eyes. 

Let’s say you’re seeking accounting support. While you thought you just needed someone with a knack for keeping the books clean, when you consider your added requirement for specialist training in corporate accounting, who you’re actually describing is a registered BAS agent.

Bear in mind that analytical and creative skillsets generally aren’t complementary, so there may be two different roles.

When writing, I encourage you to request the skills you want. If your ideal person truly possesses “an eagle eye”, have they noticed you asked for the phrase ‘blue banana’ included in their resume? 

To save time, use an inbox filter to weed out applications that don’t mention it.

You also want to easily check through their public recommendations, like LinkedIn or Google My Business, and if you are seeking design support, ask for examples of objectively similar projects, or if you are making a significant investment in a support service, ask if you can contact one of their clients. 

Seek value over cost – you’ll spend less in the long run

It can be very tempting to lead with price. In my experience, it’ll be a quick race to the bottom.

Contractors confident enough to charge more are generally more experienced and efficient, taking up less of your time explaining, re-explaining, or re-doing work. 

Your time is money too and there’s an opportunity cost in training.

Last year we surveyed hundreds of VAs to understand what they were charging. According to the data, 87 per cent told us they enjoyed working on an “as needed” basis. 42 per cent stated they didn’t expect a minimum number of hours.

If you are price-sensitive, request a fixed-price quote based on agreed deliverables.

Don’t set and forget

While I am the CEO of a jobs board, I’ll be the first to say platforms like ours shouldn’t represent your sole effort.

Reach out to your network of fellow entrepreneurs: who can they recommend? If you have a strong social presence, attract attention with humour. Captions like “I WANT TO GIVE YOU SOME MONEY” are easy to engage with, increasing reach. Consider a referral fee if someone suggests a great fit.

Finally, never hire the first person who looks good. 

I’m not saying they’re not perfect, but it’s worth giving your posting at least two weeks to attract the best talent. From there, shortlist, and from there, promptly offer the job. Worthwhile talent doesn’t stay available for long.

The good news is that in 2025, you don’t need to keep wearing all of the hats. Once you start offloading responsibilities not best suited to your skillset, you’ll be amazed at what can sprout.

The post How to hire the right contractor for your business appeared first on Inside Small Business.

“The surge in demand, fuelled by post-pandemic economic recovery, new housing incentives, and large-scale government infrastructure projects, placed enormous pressure on the sector,” she explains. House Inspect found itself overflowing with work, but unable to take advantage of the increased opportunities.

To make matters worse, skilled labour shortages due to border closures made it hard for House Inspect to find new employees to keep up with demand. It wasn’t the only business looking for new employees – other companies needed workers, too, and were offering high wages to attract and retain talent.

To address the increased workload and demand in 2022, House Inspect implemented several strategic initiatives, Litsa recounts. As soon as it caught wind of the increasing demand, the business went about looking for new employees. It offered competitive remuneration packages, targeted training programs, and work-life balance. House Inspect was not only able to attract new talent, but also retained existing employees amid strong competition.

Facing a glut of demand, the business streamlined its operations. Litsa says it implemented new systems and refined existing ones, making processes more efficient. 

House Inspect also prioritised communication and relationships with its clients, ensuring they were informed of its movements as a business. Litsa says staff took the time to listen to clients’ challenges and worked with them to ensure House Inspect was a resource for their already exhausted workforce. This transparency helped manage expectations and maintain trust during a challenging period, in which House Inspect grew as a business – and that growth is continuing this year.

“Facing a sudden increase in demand can be overwhelming for small-business owners, but managing that growth effectively is crucial for sustainable success,” Litsa says.

When asked what advice she would give other businesses going through a similar experience, Litsa recommends starting by developing a clear plan with defined goals and priorities. This helps maintain focus and mitigates feelings of being overwhelmed.

Moreover, Litsa explains that expanding too quickly or responding too slowly can create problems. She urges businesses to stay attuned to industry trends to time their growth appropriately, and refine their processes to ensure quality and customer service. Outsourcing non-core tasks can also be beneficial, as it allows businesses to free up internal resources to focus on core operations. Finally, businesses should monitor cash flow closely to ensure they have the capital needed to support growth, the inspector recommends.

Your workforce is the backbone of your business, Litsa says, and investing in your workers is essential, especially during periods of high demand. Even when your staff members are busy, offer work-life balance, training and development. This will not only aid in retention, but make your team more highly skilled.

Lastly, Litsa explains that communicating with clients during busy periods is key.

“Keeping them informed about changes, delays or challenges builds trust and strengthens long-term relationships,” she explains.

By taking a proactive, measured approach, small-business owners can excel during periods of demand.

This article first appeared in issue 46 of the Inside Small Business quarterly magazine

The post How this SME owner helped staff keep up with surging demand appeared first on Inside Small Business.

The majority (65 per cent) of small-business owners say that skill shortages have put them under pressure; 53 per cent say they lack adequate resources and skilled staff.

While the most recent figures are grim, they represent an improvement when compared with last year’s. In 2023, 72 per cent of small-business owners said that there weren’t enough skilled workers in their sector. This year, however, only 46 per cent said the same.

What can SMEs do to combat skills shortages?

The Localsearch report found that small-business owners are combatting the shortages with a variety of tactics.

Almost a quarter (21 per cent) are offering work-life balance incentives – such as flexible working – to encourage new talent and keep existing employees happily. A quarter (25 per cent) are offering higher salaries to achieve the same ends.

Some small-business owners said they had changed their expectations of prospective employees in light of the circumstances. A quarter (25 per cent) said they are taking on more junior staff, while a third (33 per cent) are hiring based on personality and work ethic, as opposed to experience.

“While it’s encouraging to see some improvement in the availability of skilled workers compared to last year, small business owners are still navigating significant challenges when it comes to finding and retaining the right talent,” said Wes Graham, Head of People at Localsearch.

“Skill shortages don’t just impact day-to-day operations – [they also create] additional pressures, forcing business owners to wear more and more hats. What we’re seeing, though, is a remarkable adaptability among Aussie small business owners.”

The post How SMEs are tackling ongoing skills shortages appeared first on Inside Small Business.

In Australia, 80 per cent of SMEs are owned by Baby Boomers. These businesses have an aggregate valuation of roughly $3.5 trillion. Given the similarity in the Australian and Canadian economies, we can extrapolate that the macroeconomic risk is the same in  Australia. In other words, Aussie small business owners need to plan for when they can no longer run the show. 

What is succession thinking? 

For businesses to succeed, they need to get familiar with ‘succession thinking’. Succession thinking was the product of my experience as an SME owner-leader in three businesses over the last 35 years. I discovered that at different times, the business was not providing what I really wanted. Many owners end up in this place: financially secure, but unhappy. A big cause of this unhappiness is a lack of clarity about what they want from the business and how they fit into its success. 

In short, business owners need to hand over accountability to others,  but handing over accountability and decision rights to others is challenging. 

Succession thinking is a method for SME owner-leaders to build their business to get what they want. It involves building your business so that succession is an ultimate outcome from the beginning. It is the opposite  of kicking the can down the road and viewing succession as an event that will begin happening in the distant future. 

Succession thinking has an impact on  how you design and build your business,  so it is wise to apply the following principles as early as possible. 

Principle 1: Seek role clarity 

To become a succession thinker, you need to be clear about who does what across your business. This means  distinguishing between owner, director,  organisation leader, team leader and technician. 

The reason this is the first principle is because you can’t do the owner’s vision work until you fully embrace the owner’s role. Many SME owners are on the hamster wheel of day-to-day operations.  However, the habits and behaviours to execute operations roles (team leader and technician) are very different to those of being an owner. If you want to focus on the overall vision of your business, you need to step back from operations and focus on doing the work of the owner.  

Principle 2: Build your owner’s vision

The owner’s vision is where you want to head and how you will get there. All  SME owners will have their own vision  – it will depend on your life situation,  risk tolerance, and what you want for different stakeholders. To provide a  general example, however, many owners  value the following: 

• Sustainable dividend returns (and  funds for reinvestment) 
• The business is prepared for sale if  the right offer was made 
• Financial valuation is continually maximised 
• Critical stakeholders (employees, customers and suppliers, etc) are  cared for 
• Discretionary time is maximised (not falling victim to the business’ operations). 

You might like to use the above to help you define your vision. 

One superpower of being an SME  is that it’s easier to identify who the custodians of the vision are. Many large organisations don’t have this ability, and their vision can evolve to pure ROI.  

Principle 3: Build leadership beyond you 

The central measure of success for you as a succession thinker is when you’ve handed over roles you no longer want to do. Distributing leadership to others is key to both growing a business and delivering on your vision.  

To build leadership beyond you, your successors must share your vision and understand your Business Way (see principle 5). You also need to build organisation leaders – people who set and implement your vision and strategy  – as opposed to operation leaders. 

Ultimately, the situation you want to avoid is having to re-enter your business because you appointed a general manager that didn’t work out.  

Principle 4: Build culture beyond you

To be a succession thinker, you need to attract capable and aligned people and have them contribute for the long term. Building culture beyond you is about building sustained trust –  psychological safety and accountability.  This empowers handing over decision rights to others. 

SME owner-leaders can harness the advantages of having a small system.  You have the right to define your culture. 

Principle 5: Build your Business Way

Your Business Way is a set of data that describes what your business believes in and how it delivers it. This consists of: 

• Business guidance: including owner’s vision, purpose, a values constitution, goals and objectives and organisation maps (how you organise yourself beyond the organisation chart).
• Teams: including teams that service the stewardship (owners and organisation leaders) customer;  support teams; all data that describe the teams and their measurement of team effectiveness and the systems that each team uses to define ‘how we work’.
• Team members: including cultural data, roles and connection to your team.  

Establishing a Business Way can provide clarity, support and evidence of your value to current and future stakeholders. There is no value in having this data in a high people turnover environment where all the incentives are to optimise for the short term. However, it is very valuable when building for the long term where you want to supply this context to your people.  

It is my view that your Business Way is your true point of difference. Your  Business Way will help you understand what sets apart your business in the marketplace. It also describes your core points of difference or unique sale proposition. 

As a ‘succession thinking’ leader,  you need a place to store your  Business Way that is accessible for future leaders. 

Conclusion

Succession thinking is key to building a resilient business that thrives. By clarifying your role within the business,  establishing a vision, leadership team,  culture, and your Business Way, you can build an organisation that lasts beyond you. 

This article first appeared in issue 46 of the Inside Small Business quarterly magazine

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The report highlights how drastically jobs have changed – and are changing – as technology evolves. Of the 5,000 business leaders that LinkedIn spoke to, 7 in ten in Australia say that the pace of change at work is speeding up. 

But how are small businesses handling these changes? ISB heard from small-business leaders about how their roles have changed, and are changing, due to technology. 

Hiring for new skills

Some of the business leaders who reached out to ISB have already hired new talent to help them keep up with changing demands in the workplace.

“I have hired a specialist in AI to work on some prompts for me to meet my marketing goals,” said Shona Gates, owner of Team Sexy Selfish. “It has been money well spent.”

Lel Smits of the Stock Network says that she has already hired data specialists to keep on top of her digital strategy. “As AI and emerging tech evolve, we foresee growing our team further, ensuring we stay at the forefront of digital education.”

Expanding roles

Though some SMEs are hiring new talent, many have unsurprisingly had to absorb these demands themselves rather than creating new jobs.

“For us, it has been an expansion of roles, rather than new hires for specific roles,” said Jane Kilkenny of Fitness Energy. “For example, senior team members incorporate social media marketing and online training platforms for clients.”

Jo McKenzie, who runs her virtual digital support business Call on Jo entirely solo, expressed overwhelm at the amount of technological change. “[Solopreneurs] are often taking on pretty much all of the roles that the big businesses have employees for.”

Even HR professionals at large companies are feeling overcome, according to LinkedIn. It’s Change Snapshot found that 53 per cent say expectations of them at work are higher than ever before. Under these conditions, how on earth can small businesses – many of whom are solopreneurs – keep up?

How can SMEs keep up?

It seems that many small-business owners are adapting to changed skill demands the way they always have: by taking up the challenges themselves. Many have committed to continually upskilling themselves and their staff, weaving tech education in their day-to-day processes.

“It’s critical for small businesses to build a culture of continuous learning, upskill current employees and ensure agility in the workforce,” says Adam Gregory. Gregory is the Senior Director of LinkedIn’s ANZ Talent & Learning Solutions team. “Small and micro businesses that lack the capacity or resources to continuously hire new talent should consider in-demand skills when building their teams to future-proof their business for the changing nature of work.”

Many of the small businesses that reached out to ISB said that they were not considering new hires because they felt they could upskill themselves and their teams adequately.

Pete Williams of Simply Headsets said he’s using tech, not new employees, to adapt. “After 15 years in the biz, we have no current plans to hired a full-time ‘AI wrangler’, but we’re leaning into tech that simplifies processes and gives our customer service team an edge.”

“I don’t see myself hiring specialist roles in the future for AI but will be educating myself on how to use AI to improve the way we run our business,” said Jason He of Kaleido Loans.

Tom Adam of Canberra Martial Arts & Fitness explained, “I don’t see the need to hire different staff. But we must ensure they are well trained on the available solutions.”

The importance of soft skills

When it comes to upskilling the small-business workforce to keep up with changing tech trends, Gregory urges employers to consider soft skills when building their teams.

“When hiring, instead of focusing on job titles, we need to hire people based on their skills,” he said. “Today, the top five skills that hiring managers in Australia consider the most important in the era of AI show an emphasis on people skills: Problem-Solving Abilities, Communications Skills, Critical Thinking, Time Management and Listening Skills.”

As many small-business owners know only too well: it’s not the tech skills that matter most, but the ability to learn them quickly.

The post As tech moves faster than ever, how are SMEs closing the skill gaps? appeared first on Inside Small Business.

As the daughter of immigrant parents from Vietnam, I was well-versed in Vietnamese before I could even speak English. I’ve personally felt the brunt of racist taunts and social exclusion. Let me tell you, it doesn’t feel good sitting in the corner at school, surrounded by kids playing without me in what seems like an alien language.

I’ve also experienced challenges in business. As a life and business coach in an industry where many theories and practices were founded in the East, it’s hard not to notice that the face of the industry remains white-centric. For example, Google’s list of the top 25 coaches in 2023 failed to feature even one Eastern Asian, Indigenous, black or brown woman coach.

We also know that diversity and inclusion in business have a positive impact on performance. Data by McKinsey & Co in 2015 has shown that organisations with high marks for ethnic diversity are 35 per cent more likely than those with poor marks to experience financial returns above their industry average.

However, this data is based on big companies with revenue over $100 million, where there are more resources to divert towards diversity efforts. 

So, is this data relevant to small businesses?

Sarah Platts, Director of leadership and communication consultancy Catalyst, says, “When an employee can bring their whole self to the workplace, they will feel more engaged and effective,” she says. “The benefits of this engagement are amplified in a small business, where people often play multiple, critical roles in driving business performance.”

I see this clearly within my own business. I have a small contracted team of Australians, a Germany-based Vietnamese social media manager, and a Filipino virtual assistant and graphic designer. 

I’ve had my team members offer new business ideas unique to Asia, suggest new practices through European technological advances not yet launched in Australia, and bring perspectives about ways of working that I’d never come across before. Thanks to my culturally diverse team, I’ve had awesome innovation in my business.

The benefits of diversity in recruitment in small businesses

How do more ethnically diverse small businesses grow and perform better than those that aren’t?

1. Team members are more happy and harmonious, and less stressed. Statistics show that people in diverse teams are three times less likely to resign (Inclusion@Work Index 2019). This makes sense. When people feel seen, heard and accepted, they are more satisfied and have less reason to seek alternative work options.
2. Becoming more adaptable. For a small business to create an ethnically and racially diverse environment, there must already be a level of progressive thinking and openness to explore. A diverse team means more variation in team experiences, beliefs and values, further encouraging innovation in business decisions and strategy. In this fast-paced world, where change is only accelerating, adaptability is the difference between a small business staying relevant, and not.
3. Expanding their customer base and connecting to their community more intimately. Small businesses with diverse cultural representation are three times more likely to provide excellent customer service, the Inclusion@Work Index 2019 states. How? Diverse small businesses have more widespread insight and can market to a wider customer base of different races and cultures. With more representation, they can speak more directly to their community to build trust, loyalty and higher conversion rates.

In contrast, if a small business lacks diversity, the three or four people in its team will carry similar beliefs, leading to difficulty seeing different perspectives and a lack of innovation.

During the pandemic, 85 per cent of diverse small businesses made business-saving changes like expanding their customer base or changing their pricing, while only 57 per cent of non-diverse businesses made those changes (Federal Reserve research).

A sure way to doom our small business to conformity and stagnancy is to create an echo chamber of confirmation bias and consensual validation, where people attach themselves to those who share the same attitudes, staying closed off to new ideas.

What about personal benefits?

Let’s not forget that the root cause of all systems of oppression, like racism, ableism, sexism and ageism is the fact that we subconsciously view certain traits as inferior compared with others.

In other words, we create a hierarchy of worth in our head, where certain traits, and people, matter more than other minority or unfamiliar traits.

In simple terms, the root cause of discrimination is the engrained judgment we carry for anything different.

But what we don’t realise is we are not separate from our judgment.

Where we judge others for being different, we also judge ourselves for our differences.

And how many of us have ever felt insecure, or doubted ourselves because of our differences?

I know I have.

Complete acceptance of diversity in small businesses is complete acceptance of ourselves, creating inner peace and liberation.

So, what can we do today?

• Create business branding and values that welcome ethnic and cultural diversity. 
• Advertise job descriptions that are accommodating and flexible, with work hours to attract all people.
• Screen CVs and ask whether your decision to hire this person would change whether their name was Bonnie White or Yaling Zhao. Research shows that despite identical CVs, ethnic minorities received on average 51 per cent fewer callbacks than applicants with English names. 
• Make an effort to increase diversity in all collaborations, partners and suppliers.
• Shift the narrative from within: educate yourselves through books, podcasts and online forums, about different systems of oppression and their intersectionality; check your subconscious biases that affect your mannerisms, language, decisions, and behaviours; learn about what language is no longer deemed appropriate or inclusive; and consciously expand the diversity within your personal circles, such as friends you make, media you consume, books you read, and events you attend.

If we are from an ethnic minority background, we owe it to ourselves to fight for a future of equal opportunity.

If we are Caucasian, we owe it to all those without the same privilege to give them more opportunity to match what we already possess.

Do it for the growth and success of your small business.

Do it to liberate yourself from the self-judgement you might be carrying.

Do it for a better world, where everyone can have space and a voice to shine, no matter who they are and where they have come from.

This article first appeared in issue 45 of the Inside Small Business quarterly magazine

The post How (and why) to recruit a diverse team as a small-business owner appeared first on Inside Small Business.

September saw the largest increase in jobs in two years; jobs growth was up 5.8 percent YoY. 

The largest growth took place in sectors underpinned by public sector spending: public administration (up 9.0 per cent YoY) and healthcare (up 8.6 per cent YoY).

Hospitality, on the other hand, continued on its recent decline. It saw a jobs decline of 0.2 per cent YoY and was the only industry employing fewer staff than it was twelve months prior. 

While jobs growth is increasing, sales are slowing. Aussie SMEs saw a 3.7 per cent YoY increase in the September Quarter. While this figure is only about half the long term average, the US, New Zealand, and Canada all recorded negative sales growth last quarter, so Australian small businesses continue to outperform their overseas counterparts. 

Why are small businesses still hiring?

Xero Economist Louise Southall suggested a couple of reasons why SMEs are still bringing on new staff despite slow sales. Firstly, they could be trying to maintain service quality in the short-term.

“Small businesses are still hiring, even as sales growth slows, because they recognise the value of retaining skilled staff to maintain service quality,” she said. 

Secondly, businesses could also be looking to the future when making hiring decisions.

“Despite tighter margins, many businesses are also prioritising staff retention to keep pace with operational needs and their future growth potential,” said Southall. “Having a skilled workforce is crucial to weathering economic challenges and having your business well-positioned for when conditions improve.”

Sectors that are leading sales growth – the aforementioned public admin and healthcare, for instance – could also be driving these figures up, the economist pointed out.

Wage growth and payment times relatively steady

While jobs were up, wage growth showed little change last quarter. Wages were up 2.9 per cent YoY, compared to 2.8 per cent YoY in the June quarter. 

Wage growth has been slow for a while; we also know that Australians are working more for less pay.

Australian SMEs also bore the brunt of a small payment times increase in the three months to September. Payments were an average of 6.1 days late, as opposed to 6.0 days last quarter.

As a small consolation, Australian SMEs enjoyed the shortest payment times of all the countries Xero surveyed.

“The slight increase in how long small businesses are waiting to be paid serves as a good reminder for small businesses to think about cash flow and consider offering more ways for their customers to pay,” said Theo Konstantas, Sales Director Australia, Xero. “Itʼs encouraging to see that Australian small businesses continue to weather challenging conditions, and fare reasonably well compared to other markets.”

The post Small-business hiring hit a two-year high recently appeared first on Inside Small Business.

This is one of the insights from SafetyCulture’s annual Feedback from the Field research, which explores topics affecting businesses such as job satisfaction, job security and the cost of dissatisfaction.

In particular, 83 per cent of those working in SMEs are satisfied with their job overall. However, 71 per cent still feel dissatisfied with some aspect of their work.

Of those who are dissatisfied, 32 per cent say it is due to the impact of unreasonable expectations or burnout, 31 per cent say it is due to pressure to cut corners to save time or money, and 30 per cent say it is due to lack of relevant training.

The report highlighted that this dissatisfaction is a potential risk to SMEs as 38 per cent of workers who are dissatisfied shared that they are less motivated to do their best work and 33 per cent say they are more likely to quit.

The research also noted that 49 per cent of SME workers believe that there is an “Us vs. Them” mentality between managers and frontline employees. But of those who believe this, 55 per cent say it can be improved through better pay and benefits, 47 per cent say through more regular communication, and 43 per cent say through recognition for strong performance

Sam Byrnes, Chief Product Officer at SafetyCulture says, “SMEs make up 98 per cent of all businesses in Australia. They are critical to our local economy and yet workers on the frontline are telling us they feel overstretched and compromised.”

“There will always be room for improvement within organisations, but leaders are doing themselves, and their people, a huge disservice by failing to understand frontline challenges, acknowledging and addressing issues, and communicating adequately. It’s time businesses woke up to the fact that listening to people on the frontline is one of the fastest ways to improve the bottom line,” Byrnes added.

Now in its fourth year, the global study of 10,000 frontline workers, over 2,000 of which are in Australia, sheds light on the sentiment and challenges across key industries, including construction, retail, manufacturing, mining & energy, logistics, and hospitality.

The post Despite pressures, Aussie SME workers feel more satisfied than large-business workers appeared first on Inside Small Business.

Many of the changes have come about due to the rental crisis, with the influx of migration after the pandemic being blamed for making this problem worse. International students take the brunt of the blame, resulting in a huge cut to international students at around 63,000 fewer students than last year. 

Another important focus of the Migration Strategy is to curb ‘visa hopping’. This means closing the loopholes that currently allow students and other temporary visa holders to repeatedly extend their stay in Australia. Both of these changes will have a significant impact on small businesses that rely on international migration for staff. 

How will the changes to immigration affect small businesses?

Shortage of workers in certain industries

63.6 per cent of international students are employed. That’s around 230,348 workers, most commonly employed in industries such as food and beverage services and residential care. These industries, particularly in key student hubs such as Sydney and Melbourne, heavily depend on international students to meet their workforce demands. A reduction in student visas could pose difficulties for these businesses in recruiting enough staff to fill required positions. 

Such a crackdown could also impact a host of other jobs popular with temporary visa holders, such as construction and cleaning. This could create a huge problem for small businesses, as ABS data indicates that one-third of businesses are currently facing challenges in finding staff, due to the shortage of job applications. With a shortage of applicants already providing a huge problem for small businesses, a cut to international students, who make up a significant proportion of roles in certain industries, would exacerbate the issue. 

Decrease to the part-time workforce

In addition to international students filling essential roles in the workforce, 76 per cent of those employed work part-time, which is the highest percentage of workers among all temporary visa holders. Employing international students on part-time schedules allows businesses to flexibly adjust their staffing levels according to when they need the most support. 

For example, industries such as hospitality and retail often experience fluctuations in demand, such as increased customers on weekends or during the holiday seasons. Having a pool of part-time workers enables businesses to efficiently meet this demand without committing to full-time staffing costs year-round. This flexibility not only helps in managing operational expenses but also ensures that businesses can maintain optimal service levels during busy times. 

Given that international students make up a substantial segment of part-time workers, a cut to their numbers are likely to result in small businesses encountering difficulties in securing employees willing to work variable hours. This could lead to staffing shortages during peak periods or require full-time personnel to be hired, which typically entails higher expenses and could potentially diminish overall profitability. 

How can small businesses prepare?

Overall, if small businesses are unable to hire staff, it will likely result in decreased productivity, poor quality service, and operational disruption. In turn, this could lead to a financial impact and threaten long-term sustainability. Therefore, small businesses must prepare appropriately. 

Businesses facing the impact of immigration should consider improving employee compensation packages, exploring automation to streamline operations, and collaborating with local businesses to share workload. They may also review how roles can be filled with local staff. For example, our research found that the popularity of part-time work is increasing, therefore, businesses may want to hire two part-time members of staff to cover a full-time position.

With the appropriate planning, small businesses can reduce the risk of staff shortages from cuts to immigration.

The post How immigration cuts threaten small-business success appeared first on Inside Small Business.

When writing your organisation’s job descriptions, have a look through your hiring processes and see if they are inclusive of diverse candidates. Ensure your organisation’s commitment to diversity and inclusion is clear to applicants.

Have a look through the stages of the hiring process and assess its accessibility strengths and weaknesses. Small things like accessible online application systems or alternative methods for submitting applications, such as phone or email, go a long way to accommodate different needs or to deterring what could be a fantastic candidate.

2. Utilise disability employment service providers

Disability employment services providers specialise in helping both those living with disabilities find and maintain employment, as well as employers in identifying, recruiting and supporting employees with disabilities. Through high-level training for job-specific skills, these organisations prepare candidates for the workplace and also facilitate workplace modifications, wage subsidies and employer training. You can find your local disability employment services provider online at jobaccess.gov.au/. The best candidate for your role might be closer than you think.

3. Enhance workplace accessibility and accommodations

Ensuring that facilities, equipment, and workspaces are accommodating for individuals with various disabilities is crucial to attracting talent to your workplace. There is an enormous opportunity to adopt rapidly developing assistive technologies and tools that can assist the participation of individuals with disabilities. Promoting flexible work arrangements and reasonable accommodation, such as modified work hours or job duties, to meet the specific needs of employees with disabilities, will be critical to a fair and equitable work partnership.

By implementing these strategies, your small business can tap into a diverse and talented pool of candidates, enhance your workforce, and contribute to a more inclusive society. Those who are forward-thinking will see the immense opportunity for business growth and competitive advantage available to them.

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