Labour market strengthening: Household Labour Force Survey

Media statement

05 May 2011

Labour market strengthening: Household Labour Force Survey Results

The labour market looks set to strengthen according to the Household Labour Force Survey results, says Paul Robinson, General Manager of leading recruitment and HR services specialist, Randstad.

According to Statistics New Zealand, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell by 0.1 percentage points to 6.6 percent in the March 2011 quarter.

“The fall in the unemployment figures to 6.6 percent is welcome, but it’s important that organisations prepare themselves for a slow return to normality both from a hiring and retention point of view.

“We’re not out of the woods yet. The combination of recent rises to rates and inflation as well as improved consumer outlook is making employees consider their options,” says Robinson.

“We are seeing businesses that have gone through transformations, now looking to either retain or find the right people for critical roles to support their recovery and future growth plans.

“Strong leadership and culture will be extremely important. Employers need to focus on keeping their current staff satisfied, as well as keeping an eye out for the best talent.”

As a result of the earthquake, the data gathering process in Canterbury was interrupted and a third of those normally surveyed didn't take part. As such the affects of the natural disaster may not be apparent in today's data.

“The industry sectors impacted most by the Christchurch earthquake are the industrial/blue collar, construction, engineering and healthcare sectors, as well as general administrative/business support roles and the education sector to a lesser extent.

“We are also seeing very high levels of temporary employment in the industrial sector coming out of Randstad’s Christchurch office. Nationally, there has been definite growth in temporary positions within the industrial space. Jobs in areas such as warehousing, including pick and pack, general labourers and forklift drivers, are in high demand,” says Robinson.

“The Christchurch rebuild will obviously have a major requirement for construction and engineering staff, so people with good experience, say three or more years, will be snapped up very quickly. Understandably, availability of construction workers in the local Christchurch market is now depleted so employers need to look nationally and internationally depending on the level of skills required.”

Randstad is also seeing an unprecedented requirement for structural and geotechnical engineers to work in Christchurch – both permanently or to work on a rota system i.e. work 1 in every 4 weeks in Christchurch but living in Auckland or Wellington.

“We believe the growth in construction and infrastructure in Christchurch will have a flow-on effect to almost all other industry sectors and while this may take some months, demand will increase for job roles across the board,” adds Robinson.

About Randstad

Randstad is a Fortune 500 Company and one of the world’s largest recruitment & HR services organisations. The Randstad Group employs more than 520,000 people every day with the aim of “Shaping the world of work”. Visit www.randstad.co.nz for further information.

ENDS

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