Australia PM calls for 'compromise, sacrifice' to combat labor crunch

Summit held with private sector amid 48-year-low jobless rate, inflation threat

Employers seek to attract workers at a job fair at Sydney Airport in June. (AAP Image/Bianca De Marchi)

FUMI MATSUMOTO, Nikkei staff writer

September 2, 2022 05:06 JST

SYDNEY -- Australia's government and private sector are scrambling to deal with a labor shortage that risks aggravating inflation and derailing the country's recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

The government on Thursday convened a Jobs and Skills Summit in Canberra, bringing together labor union representatives and business leaders, including the CEOs of Qantas Airways, BHP and supermarket chain Coles, some of the country's largest employers, to discuss the issue.