Australian Company Offers Free Beer In Search To Hire Skilled Electricians

One Australian company is so desperate for skilled workers that it is offering successful applicants free beer for a year.

The electric company Eric Scott Electrical and Air Conditioning Services in Moree, a town in the Australian Outback, promises to give a free carton of beer every week to two or three newly hired electricians, the Moree Champion reports. Depending on their qualifications and where they live, the new hires also could get a cell phone, car and housing. (Hat tip: the Daily Mail.)

It is "near impossible" to find skilled workers in Moree, said Eric Scott, the company's owner, in an interview with the Moree Champion. The company's job ad is running in two local Australian papers and may run in newspapers in Sydney and Brisbane if the company needs more qualified applicants, according to the Moree Champion.

According to the Moree Champion and Perth Now, Eric Scott Electrical is struggling to hire and retain qualified workers, in part because Australia's booming mining industry offers higher pay.

"Most blokes like a beer, so we thought we could use it in our favor as a hook for new staff," Dion Biggs, the company's operations manager, told Perth Now.

The company's job ad is headlined "Free Beer For A Year," according to Perth Now. The salary range is 20 to 50 Australian dollars per hour, or $21 to $53 per hour.