Kiwis 'too good' for seasonal work as employers cry out for skilled fulltime staff

Tuesday, 4 December 2018

Marlborough has more vineyard work than the Government's Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme can handle, but locals are encouraged to apply for the fulltime positions available in the region.

'The jobs aren't sustainable, or the incomes are low … casual, insecure jobs,' was the top comment on a Stuff story in July about jobs in Marlborough.

But the 'hard numbers' don't lie, as a recent job survey shows precisely the opposite; Marlborough is crying out for skilled fulltime staff.

Wine Marlborough advocacy manager Vance Kerslake found employers were finding it difficult to fill positions through a Wine Marlborough survey with 85 per cent of respondents claiming to have vacant fulltime positions.

And Wine Marlborough advocate Vance Kerslake says Kiwis are 'too good' for seasonal work - they should be pushed into permanent positions.

Wine Marlborough surveyed 55 Marlborough employers across a dozen industries and found 85 per cent of respondents had vacancies for permanent, skilled positions.

Machinery operators are in high demand in Marlborough, and pay has been pushed up.

Lawson's Dry Hills general manager Sion Barnsley says Marlborough needs to attract more people.

* Head scratching in Marlborough as spare jobs spark survey

* Vance Kerslake, Wine Marlborough's new advocacy manager, talks shop**

Cafe Home owner Geoff Pybus had issues finding qualified staff. Hospitality was feeling the pressure of the skills shortage due to booming tourism in the region.

'People would have thought I was exaggerating if I didn't have the hard numbers to back it up, It's quite concerning really,' Kerslake said.

According to surveyed employers, their biggest challenge was getting applications from people with the right skills.

Diesel mechanics are in demand around the world. Alex McKain-Langrope is a hydraulic apprentice at Tractor Repairs and Spares in Renwick.

There was so much seasonal work in the region that the Government increased the cap of the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme to 12,850 nationally, an extra 400 hoped for in the wine region.

However, over half of the surveyed businesses said it was 'very difficult' to fill skilled work positions.

Accommodation was also identified as a barrier to attracting and retaining talent, with 22 per cent of respondents citing the lack of accommodation an issue.

'Blenheim, like a lot of other places around New Zealand, accommodation is quite tight,' Kerslake said.

'That's one of the reasons we need to maximise the workforce we have here.'

Lawsons Dry Hills general manager Sion Barnsley said they had just filled their open positions, but 'weren't inundated with qualified people'.

'It's quite contrary to the number of people studying tertiary, winemaking etc,' Barnsley said.

He said it was a struggle to get people to relocate to Marlborough and to acquire accommodation. They preferred people who were a resident and established in the province, he said.

'Our vacancies have been more in the winemaking area of the business,' Barnsley said.

He said that they preferred tertiary qualifications for winemaking positions, but for operating machinery, they wanted people who were reliable and practical.

'The pay rate has gone up very quickly for machinery operators but it's not just about remuneration. It's about how you're treated and the opportunities you're given,' Barnsley said.

'We need to attract more people to Marlborough.'

A global shortage of diesel mechanics had many employers in the region taking on apprentices and battling for qualified mechanics of any discipline.

'A lot of employers I talk to are happy to invest in training people,' Kerslake said.

Kerslake said Wine Marlborough would be 'keen' to partner with Work and Income.

'[Work and Income] recently announced a Mana in Mahi programme to get young people into apprenticeships,' he said.

More than 800 people were receiving the Jobseekers Support benefit in Marlborough during the second quarter of 2018.

However, Kerslake said only about half of them were considered 'work ready'.

'With the Canterbury rebuild the government put together a skills shortage list and it worked well. We'd like to see that kind of policy rolled out for other regions as well,' Kerslake said.

He said all other industries were having difficulties hiring people.

'There's a shortage of hospitality staff. The tourism industry has been growing here as well,' Kerslake said.

'Building and construction. Most people know there's a shortage of builders.

'But it seems to be pretty much across the board. We've got a rapidly ageing population. We need 1000 new workers every year to replace the people leaving the workforce. If you want to grow the workforce, you need 1001 people.

'It's so important to be working on these issues,' he said.

'We're really pleased the council has set up a labour and skills group to look at what we do about them.'