Chefs are in critically short supply across the state following intermittent shutdowns, with industry and union representatives warning some won't be coming back anytime soon.

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Owner of Bendigo's Shamrock Hotel Ray Sharawara, who is an Australian Hotels Association spokesman, said about 100,000 chefs on migrant visas had left Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns.

"There is definitely a shortage of chefs - I can say that categorically,'' he said.

"They have gone home and they won't be coming back until the Federal Government loosens up the visa program. We need people to be allowed back into the country."

Union director for Hospo Voice, Karma Lord, said many people dropped out of the industry because they had missed out on government stimulus programs.

Extreme casualisation in hospitality has led to rampant exploitation. Employers need to offer permanent positions with decent wages if they want to find and hold onto workers moving forward. Chefs want to be treated with respect and paid fairly for their hard work.

The regional tourism board for Victorias high country has tackled the shortage by launching an online jobs platform, High Country Jobs, to attract workers from metropolitan Melbourne ahead of the busy summer period. It aims to bring hospitality staff to Falls Creek, Mount Buller, Beechworth, Bright, Marysville and Rutherglen.

Leader of the Nationals Peter Walsh said the state government should offer $1000 to new employees hired in regional Victorian hospitality or accommodation businesses until June 2022, to be paid for by the states $250 million Jobs Victoria Fund.

Mr Sharawara said he knew some Australian chefs who had decided to hand up the apron permanently.

"We have lost a lot of people in our industry who have become disillusioned because of the government shutdowns,'' he said.

"I've heard them say 'I have a mortgage and kids and I need a steady income and I'm moving on entirely' and they have gone to totally different jobs."

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Mr Sharawara said all levels of government needed to help the industry get back to its former productivity, including by offering training and financial incentives to people who were willing to learn cookery and join the industry.

"We have relied on migrant workers for too long, at the expense of developing our our domestic workforce and encouraging people to learn cookery,'' he said.

"Chefs come from overseas because they want permanent residency and that's understandable. I want them to get residency. We do need people with these skills."

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