The LEADERS SUMMIT 2023 heard retirement living operators are losing staff due to offers of higher pay elsewhere.
Daniel Dwyer (pictured centre), CEO of Fresh Hope Communities, told the LEADERS SUMMIT that there's a constant concern that it is losing the capability, or not being able to retain the capability, to deliver its services.
“We're losing all of our maintenance personnel to the construction industry because they're getting paid double,” said Daniel, whose Not for Profit business owns and operates nine retirement villages.
“I think there's some huge headwinds that we're going to be facing.”
Paul Singer (pictured left with AssetFuture CEO Dominic Fonte (right), whose business HT Retirement builds, owns and operates NSW retirement villages Camden Grove, Mount Gilead and Gibraltar Estate, said it was impossible to compete with the residential industry.
“In the last year I think I’ve lost something like eight building cadets, which come with time and training, and then in some cases within six to 12 months, they get double the money elsewhere. There's no incentive and it's very difficult for us, for the whole industry, I believe,” Paul told a panel.
Daniel added that the profit from running its retirement villages was used to cover the losses of its six taxpayer-funded residential aged care homes.
