WDEA Works chief executive officer Tom Scarborough said while there had been a slight decrease in online job advertisements since November 2022, levels were still far higher than in November 2021.

"There are hundreds of jobs available in the south-west region with the demand greater than available jobseekers," Mr Scarborough said.

Mr Scarborough said industries which were experiencing chronic shortages included health - with registered nurses highly sought after - as well as retail, with a large number of businesses keen to recruit sales assistants.

"We are also seeing increased demand for hospitality workers with food and accommodation providers currently struggling to find chefs, leading to restaurant and dining room closures or shortening of hours," he said.

Mr Scarborough said business owners were struggling to find staff despite offering more flexible conditions.

"We have found employers that were once requiring experience to fill roles are now more flexible than ever with the requirements and willing to give more people a go," he said.

Mr Scarborough said the demand for staff in the south-west had skyrocketed since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

A search on Seek revealed there were more than 400 job vacancies in Warrnambool.

A high number of the jobs were in the retail and hospitality sectors while there were also a number for disability service providers.

One business owner who was pleasantly surprised to receive a high number of applications for an advertised role is Madeline Farley.

She opened the doors on her new Fairy Street shop - MFA Stationery and Gifts - on December 17.

"We are hiring a junior sales assistant to do some weekend work for us," she said.

"I was shocked with how many applications we had.

"We had over 15 applications, which at current times is unheard of - especially for a new business that has only been open for one month."

Ms Farley said she even had one applicant from Melbourne.

She said she was delighted by the response to her business, which stocks stationery that she designs, along with other products.

"I am so happy with how the town has supported us so far and I hope more people get to know about MFA and will come in," Ms Farley said.

"We get new arrivals every week and continue to sell out of products at the moment.

"I feel very privileged that so many hard working people are spending their money at our store - it really is so special and to a small business like us, no one is just a number or sale, it means a lot more than that."

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