Demand for skilled trades and services talent

DEMAND FOR SKILLED TRADES AND SERVICES TALENT EXPECTED TO EXCEED SUPPLY BY 2020

Industry group identifies sectors most in need

GOT A TRADE WEEK returns to schools and communities this Monday 22 August to raise awareness of careers that exist in 140 trades and services in New Zealand. The Week, being held from 22-26 August, will celebrate the talents and achievements of Kiwi apprentices making headway in their vocation, and focus on the future demand expected for skilled workers across all trades and services.

GOT A TRADE WEEK chair, Andrew Robertson says New Zealand’s skills shortage is real and needs to be urgently addressed if the economy is to keep buoyant into the future.

“The national campaign will promote New Zealand’s need for more skilled people in trades and services. According to 2015 Immigration NZ data, one third of the occupations on the Long-Term Skills Shortage List are trades and services. There is a worrying trend of major shortfalls being predicted and by 2020 there will be high demand for employment created by industry growth and replacement demand across all sectors,” says Mr Robertson.

A sample of trades and services that will require more workers in four years’ time:

Trade or service Number of new people needed by 2020

Accommodation 11,800

Aged Care/Support Worker 17,500

Automotive 11,200

Building and Construction 64,000

Civil 19,600

Electrotechnology 11,300

Hairdressing 2,700

Mechanical Engineering 5,400

Manufacturing 40,000

Plumbing, Gasfitting and Drainlaying 7,800

Resource Recovery 2,800

Retail Supply Chain 107,000

Roofing and Scaffolding 6,800

“There are genuine and exciting career opportunities in over 140 trades and services for young people who are willing to ‘earn and learn’. We encourage everyone to visit gotatrade.co.nz and take a good look at the tremendous opportunity these viable career paths offer,” Mr Robertson adds.

GOT A TRADE WEEK 2016 speaks to school leavers, as well as parents and teachers. More than 75,000 young New Zealanders aged 15-24 years are not currently working, studying or training, accounting for 41 per cent of the country’s unemployed[1]. They are not developing the skills they need to compete in the workforce.

“Only 28 per cent of school leavers go to university. GOT A TRADE WEEK is about showcasing the opportunities that exist out there for the other 72 per cent,” says Mr Robertson.

“Trades and services typically refer to jobs that require practical skills and on-the-job training. This includes everything from construction, engineering and transport, to hairdressing, hospitality, aged care workers and retail. There are hundreds of roles to choose from and long-term career prospects for young people who are keen to work and willing to learn. This is an important conversation for jobseekers, for educators and for whanau.

“We all need to work together - in the home and in the classroom - to steer our kids in the direction of real job opportunities and to ensure NZ’s industries can survive.”

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