A severe shortage of housing is causing businesses in the Australian state of Queensland to run with insufficient staff and shorter operating hours, according to chambers of commerce across the state. The scant supply of accommodation has a disproportionate effect in regional areas, resulting in employers having to offer wage incentives or taking up the task of finding housing themselves. Terri-Ann Crothers, president of the Goondiwindi chamber of commerce, said that in her local area, employers were trying to deal with the lack of housing in the agriculture, education, hospitality, and engineering sectors. “However, there are not enough accommodation options, to buy or rent, available to house current residents, let alone new residents,” Crothers said. “It’s difficult to offer a job when there’s nowhere for the new employee and their family to live.” In Kilcoy, just four hours of driving away from Goondiwindi, larger farming, manufacturing, and construction businesses are …