Australia liquor store hiring with 10-minute interviews

Australian liquor store Dan Murphy's is offering on-the-spot job interviews in 10-minute slots to fill roles amid a staff shortage ahead of Christmas.

During the hiring week from Monday until Sunday, the business aims to hire more than 2,200 casual workers.

The country is seeing one of its tightest jobs markets in nearly 50 years with the unemployment rate at a record low of 3.5%.

Last week, Australia raised its cap on permanent migration to help fill jobs.

"We wanted to make it as easy as possible for people who are interested in a career with Dan Murphy's to get a foot in the door," according to Dan Murphy's incoming Managing Director Agi Pfeiffer-Smith.

"Hiring week is also a great way for applicants to engage directly with the store manager and to see for themselves if they think they would enjoy working in the store and with the team," she added.

According the store, many of the positions offer immediate starts and many of the roles require a commitment of minimum 20 hours per week. The company said it will pay for training and the cost of obtaining required certification that verifies workers are familiar with the country's alcohol laws.

"We are encouraging people from all walks of life to consider spending a summer with Dan; from university students to retirees who are looking to fill in a few hours a day or a few days a week, and everyone in between!" said Ms Pfeiffer-Smith.

Australia's acute worker shortage - the second-worst after Canada in the OECD group of advanced countries - was caused by the pandemic and Australia's tough border policies have exacerbated staffing gaps across all sectors, including hospitality and retail.

The government announced last week it will take up to 195,000 people this financial year - an increase of 35,000 as it tries to fill almost a half a million job vacancies.

Workers from countries including China, India and the UK - Australia's top sources of migration - are needed to fill them, the government said.