New Zealanders may be missing Christchurch opportunities

New Zealanders may be missing Christchurch opportunities

Unaware of the skills in demand in Christchurch, many New Zealanders may be missing opportunities due to a misconception that only construction jobs are available, says recruiting experts Hays.

This is just one of the findings from Tomorrow’s Workforce, the latest white paper released by recruiting experts Hays, which surveyed 269 employers and candidates. The white paper looks at four key issues: the Christchurch rebuild, globalisation, technological advancement and diversity.

The Hays survey found that 45.8 per cent of New Zealanders are unaware of the skills needed or the jobs available on the rebuild. In fact, more than one quarter (27.2 per cent) of those surveyed think the rebuild is only creating jobs for construction professionals.

“The reality is that a range of skilled professionals are needed to fuel the Christchurch rebuild, including not just construction but accountancy, office support and IT professionals,” says Jason Walker, Managing Director of Hays in New Zealand.

“The colossal staffing needs of organisations involved in Christchurch’s rebuild are here to stay for some time. They are firmly in the express lanes of our jobs market and there is no denying that their surging staffing needs will continue over the years ahead.”

According to the Hays survey of employers, almost three in four (71.4 per cent) think the staffing needs of the Christchurch rebuild will impact the availability of candidates for roles outside Canterbury, or that there will be some impact.

And one third, or 34.9 per cent, of employers believe the Christchurch rebuild will create a two-speed economy in New Zealand.

“’The term ‘two speed’ is now widely used to describe New Zealand’s current jobs market, where the South has high demand for skills as a result of the rebuild, while the North is in a holding pattern,” says Jason.

“To meet the huge staffing needs of the rebuild, employers need to firstly attract candidates. Yet 59.2 per cent of candidates not already working in Christchurch would not consider relocating to the region to take advantage of jobs on the rebuild. They have many concerns including the possibility of more earthquakes.

“It will be interesting, therefore, to see what employers in Christchurch do to attract candidates.

In many ways, employers involved in the rebuild are the forerunners for the rest of the country in terms of how to deal effectively with skills shortages.”

For more information about the white paper, please go to http://www.hays.net.nz/media-centre/index.htm and select Tomorrow’s Workforce on the top left hand side.

About Hays
Hays is the leading global specialist recruiting group. We are the expert at recruiting qualified, professional and skilled people worldwide, being the market leader in Asia Pacific and the UK and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe and Latin America. We operate across the private and public sectors, dealing in permanent positions, contract roles and temporary assignments.

Hays employs 7,800 staff operating from 245 offices in 33 countries across 20 specialisms. For the year ended 30 June 2012, Hays reported net fees of £734 million and operating profit (pre-exceptional items) of £128 million. Hays placed around 55,000 candidates into permanent jobs and around 182,000 people into temporary assignments. 33% of Group net fees were generated in Asia Pacific.

Hays operates in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Chile, China, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, the UK and the USA.

ENDS

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