The National Retail Association (NRA) has welcomed an announcement from the NSW Government to introduce a pilot program for the return of international students.
NRA CEO Dominique Lamb said the program would greatly assist in solving the current retail labour drought.
“International students play an important role in the overall economy and their return will help many retailers fill job vacancies. This will in turn help many businesses grow as Australia seeks a swift rebound from the COVID-recession,” said Lamb.
“According to the government there is roughly 50,000 overseas students attempting to get into NSW, so this scheme presents a real economic opportunity.
“It’s also one more step in the right direction to putting the pandemic behind us and we encourage other state governments to explore similar initiatives.”
The National Retail Association is the voice of modern retail, representing more than 39,000 stores across Australia. It has been serving businesses in the retail and fast-food sectors for close to 100 years.