THE local hospitality industry is facing a worker shortage crisis as businesses struggle to keep up with demand, with many job seekers opting to stay out of the workforce.

Results from the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Job Vacancy Survey showed 288,700 jobs were vacant nationally in the February 2021 quarter, an increase of 13.7 per cent from November 2020, while the private sector alone increased by 14 per cent.