Some people just unemployable: EMA
Official unemployment statistics obscure the fact that a portion of the population is unemployable, the Employers and Manufacturers Association (EMA) says.
It has released its latest survey, conducted in November.
The survey found more than a quarter of businesses expected conditions to worsen over the coming year, up from 4 per cent in the first half of 2017.
EMA chief executive Kim Campbell said that indicated uncertainty about the new Government’s policies.
Almost half expected conditions to remain the same. But more than 70 per cent said it was difficult or very difficult to recruit staff in
"The job market is very strong for those who want to work." Kim Campbell
skilled positions and 65 per cent said there was, or soon would be, a skills shortage in their sector.
Almost half had recruited migrants from overseas.
‘‘The job market is very strong for those who want to work,’’ Campbell said.
The total unemployment rate in September had dropped to 5.3 per cent, according to Statistics New Zealand. Campbell said that needed to factor in a large component of young people who were not in the workforce ‘‘because of social issues’’.
‘‘They are … high-needs individuals with intergenerational unemployment, drugs and alcohol issues.’’
One employer told the survey: ‘‘Unemployed people come looking for work but when told of our pre-employment drug testing they leave and don’t come back.’’
Forty-one per cent of survey respondents were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with school leavers’ work-readiness. Poor literacy and numeracy skills affected 47 per cent of businesses.
Most businesses would meet their needs for skilled staff over the next 12 months by employing experienced staff (50 per cent) and upskilling current staff (49 per cent).