Don't jail our good workers, bosses plead

GOOD workers are becoming so hard to find that employers are pleading with the courts to keep them out of jail.

A Queensland judge was asked twice yesterday to spare defendants from jail sentences because the tough economic times meant their employers could not do without them.

It is estimated the state is facing a shortfall of almost 40,000 skilled workers and businesses say key staff are being soaked up by the mining boom and State Government-led infrastructure projects.

In one case before Judge Michael Forde yesterday, the court was told a business could collapse if the defendant, who admitted to offences under bankruptcy laws, was sent to jail.