Bay of Plenty Business News November/December 2016

12 BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS November/December 2016
Rotorua’s job growth
no flash in the pan
Now is an exciting time for businesses and
individuals to be living in the Bay. Not only
are we approaching the festive season and a
predicted sunny summer, but our economy is
thriving – meaning more jobs for more of our
people.
Indeed, many believe Bay
of Plenty punches well
above its weight when contributing
to the national economy,
thanks to key sectors
such as forestry and tourism.
There has been much
talk of unemployment over
the last couple of weeks off
the back of Statistics New
Zealand’s third quarter figures,
which show that the
national unemployment rate
is down to 4.9 percent, the
lowest level it has been in the
past eight years.
Labour Market statistics
for the September 2016 quarter
also showed that more
young people have joined
the national workforce, with
the most employment growth
in the 25 to 29-year age
group, up 7200. This will be
a much-needed boost to our
ageing workforce, particularly
for the regions.
Unemployment in the
Bay of Plenty dropped to 5.1
percent in the third quarter,
down 0.7 percent from the
same period last year, and
SEEK figures for September
show an increase in online
job listings of 6.5 percent
compared with the same
time last year. We are seeing
these new roles being created
across the board, not just in
the traditionally strong summer
seasonal sectors often
associated with third-quarter
data leading into busier summer
months - which indicates
true growth.
Sectors that have seen the
most growth recently in the
Bay have been around tourism,
hospitality and retail,
as well as not-so-seasonal
sectors such as trades and
services, construction, and
manufacturing, transport and
logistics.
At Talent ID we have seen
steady growth in the job market
over the past two and
a half years, particularly in
Rotorua – this is not a flashin-the-pan
type of growth,
but more permanent and we
should see it continue.
With business growth and
the creation of new positions
comes the inevitable challenges
of competing for talent
and employing the right
people who will be with you
for the long-term. Despite a
number of people looking
to relocate from larger centres,
particularly Auckland,
a general ageing workforce
and slowing migration means
skills shortages already exist
in some sectors and we are
likely to see this increase.
To combat skills shortages,
many companies will need
to take a focused step to look
at the bigger-picture view of
the next five to 10 years and
what you want your company
to look like, as opposed to
hiring people for the here
and now. Part of this includes
looking at increasing training
staff on-the-job, through the
likes of apprenticeships and
graduate development programmes.
Who do you want in key
roles? What skills will those
people need? How will you
support them to achieve that?
Can you find people who
have similar goals and ambitions
that you can then help
to up-skill in line with your
business objectives?
Skills shortages means
training the right people into
businesses will become even
more important going forward.
Yes, some people you
have invested in will inevitably
leave, but you can help
Non seasonal jobs such as trades have
recently grown significantly in Rotorua.
to minimise this by offering
incentives and rewards, and
creating a value proposition
that people can’t ignore.
With more people looking
to relocate from main centres
to the Bay, lifestyle and
work-life balance are as big a
drawcard as roles themselves
and we have the opportunity
to attract talented people to
the region. The age of wellness
and wellbeing means
more people are putting more
HUMAN RESOURCES
> BY KELLIE HAMLETT
Director, Recruitment & HR Specialist, Talent ID Recruitment Ltd
emphasis on things outside
of work.
What we can offer in Bay
of Plenty is hugely unique
and gives us a competitive
advantage over other regions
– not only in terms of beaches,
lakes and forests all on
our doorstep, but affordable
housing and quality schools.
These things can hold as
much value as salary for people
either looking to move
here or wanting to stay put.
We have the ability to sell
the ‘whole package’ when
it comes to creating roles
and attracting people – don’t
underestimate your value
proposition!
To be a part of this exciting
growth in our region and
help local companies to put
the right people into the right
positions is a real privilege. If
you would like to talk about
how we can help you, we
would love to hear from you.
Braemar Hospital
taking good care of you
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Ask for Braemar
30161