Staff shortages can be a constant bind for businesses in the food and beverage (F&B), retail and cleaning sectors.

However, a manpower supply company has updated its app with QR code technology which it claims can link these businesses with part-time staff in just three hours, so they can start work the same day.

"The QR code acts as a unique, fast and effective way to bridge the gap between employers and employees," said YY Hong Ye Group's managing director Pauline Low. "Employers can gain quick access to our pool of 98,000 part-timers within seconds."

When YY Hong Ye launched its first part-time jobs app in July last year, it required employers to e-mail or call the company when they were looking for staff.

With the updated app launched yesterday, it has streamlined the process so that employers seeking workers need to just scan a QR code to alert YY about their requirements. YY can then connect them to a suitable worker on its database who fits the bill.

The company believes the app will be particularly helpful to the F&B industry.

Cantonese restaurant Dragon Bowl, which is owned by YY, uses the app as it relies heavily on part-time staff. Its manager Iris Loke told The Straits Times in Mandarin: "The biggest challenge is the quota of foreigners we can hire."

She added: "Locals find the shifts in F&B too long, and they spend the hours between lunchtime and dinnertime just sitting around. They find it a waste of time."

By using the app, business owners can cope with the foreign worker quota regulations because the workers hired through it are outsourced to YY.

The company said its part-time workers must pass "stringent face-to-face interviews and in-house quality training". All training costs are borne by YY.

The app has more than 98,000 registered users. Over half of them are aged between 16 and 25, and 15 per cent are aged 60 and older.

Correction note: This article has been edited for clarity.