NZ Employers confident on hiring

June 12 2012 - A survey of 650 New Zealand employers by recruitment firm Manpower shows that employment confidence is relatively high with 25% expecting to take on staff while only 9% are contemplating reducing payroll numbers.

Lincoln Crawley, Managing Director of ManpowerGroup Australia and New Zealand, said:

"In May, the New Zealand dollar fell to its lowest point in three months and the unemployment rate jumped to 6.7, signalling a slowdown that is making employers more cautious in the near term. Despite this, employers are quietly confident, with the impending rebuild fuelling optimism, particularly in the Mining & Construction and Transport & Utilities sectors.

The rebuiding of Christchurch will have a major impact on the New Zealand job market as the expected demand for skilled staff will exceed availability. Lincoln Crawley said:

"Employers waiting for the rebuild to begin should use this time effectively in order to ensure they have the talent strategies in place that will let them respond quickly once these projects take off. Without this, the rebuild may turn to 'organised chaos,' as employers struggle to recruit the workers needed to complete the rebuild effectively - particularly engineers and skilled trades workers.

"We are predicting a huge influx of fly-in/fly-out workers to the region as a way to fulfil recruitment needs. This workforce strategy is common for places such as remote Australian mining towns, but unusual in the New Zealand market. However, an influx of temporary workers can be complex to manage and New Zealand should plan ahead for how they accommodate and integrate these workers."

Not surprisingly, therefore, Christchurch employers showed up most strongly on hiring intentions (+26% overall). Conversely, employers in Auckland and Wellington are not quite so optimistic (+16% and +12%, respectively).

Lincoln Crawley said:

"Employers may not have a clear view of what challenges lie ahead of them, but what they can do now is focus on building the capability of their existing workforce and look to source the talent that will be the right fit for these upcoming opportunities.

"The message is one of reassurance for job seekers, as employers remain positive in spite of flagging economic indicators. The rebuild is a great opportunity for anyone who wants to get involved, Job seekers who are interested should visit Manpower’s 'Rebuild Our City' portal (https://www.manpower.co.nz/rebuildourcity/) as a starting point for their job search."