'Just frustrating': Aussie cafe owner's struggle as big businesses thrive

Australian small businesses are still struggling to recruit and retain staff, according to new figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

While the number of Aussies employed at large and medium-sized businesses grew in the 12 months to September last year, small business owners with 20 workers or less are doing it tough.

The amount of people working for small businesses, including cafes, bars and restaurants, dropped by 8.1 per cent in that period.

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It's sadly familiar territory for the owners of Brisbane coffee shop Corner Store Cafe.

Owner Matthew O'Brien told 9News he's not seeing jobseekers apply for roles at his establishment.

"Less candidates, less options," he said.

"It's just frustrating because you have to worker harder and longer to achieve the same results."

Meanwhile, organisations with 20 to 199 employees enjoyed a bump of 7.1 per cent, while the amount of people working for businesses with over 200 workers jumped by 6.3 per cent.

Overall, it was sour news for the workforce.

The amount of payroll jobs in any business size across Australia fell by 0.4 per cent.

Among the worst-hit states and territories were the ACT and Tasmania.

It's been a hard slog for small business owners as they battle to turn a profit, too.

Data released from Commonwealth Bank last week found around 27 per cent of small businesses either dipped into personal savings or didn't pay a salary, or both, in the past year.

And nearly 80 per cent of all small to medium businesses have experienced an impact to their cash flow in the past year.

"For small businesses, success often hinges on a delicate balancing act as they constantly juggle various aspects of their operations, from managing customers and employees to dealing with suppliers and vendors," said CBA Executive General Manager for Small Business Banking Rebecca Warren.

"It's not surprising that the economic challenges of the past year have resulted in cash-flow impacts for many Australian SMBs."

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