Stradbroke Island businesses are being forced closing shop over Christmas due to worker shortages. 

An accommodation conundrum is seeing seasonal and permanent workers with no place to stay, driving many off the island.

Co-owner of Fishes at the Point, Colin Battersby, told Spencer Howson he has less than half the staff he typically needs for this time of year.

“It’s probably the busiest 10 days of the year – that’s one of the reasons we are closing.”

Unfortunately for the businesses hoping to trade over Christmas, the outlook doesn’t appear to be changing any time soon.

“There’s no real short-term solution in terms of building accommodation.

“There’s an opportunity, perhaps, for entrepreneurial-types to, in consult with council, look at what can be built on certain blocks of land and so on, but again, that’s a medium-, long-term solution.”

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Image: Getty