Hiring proves hard work
Retailers and the hospitality sector hardest hit,
Some of the most entry-level of jobs are now getting harder to fill, as a skills shortage grips certain industries.
Both retailers and the fastgrowing hospitality sector are reporting difficulties getting the right staff.
In Otago’s Moeraki, acclaimed restaurateur Fleur Sullivan was struggling to get visas for chefs and kitchen staff at Christmas because no Kiwis were coming to her aid.
And in Whanganui recently, a fast food outlet had to close its restaurant because there were not enough staff to cover shifts.
‘‘It’s most acute in the regions, they really struggle,’’ Mike Egan, president of the Restaurant Association, said.
‘‘It’s not just warm bodies that we need. People have really high expectations now with online reviews and criticisms.
‘‘Everybody has to be at the top of their game and just because someone’s done a course somewhere might not make them suitable.’’
‘‘And the work is hard ... Cooking’s quite an arduous manufacturing-type business of repetitive movements ... It’s a worldwide issue.’’
Fast food chains – a traditional refuge for workers with entry-level skills – maintain that they are less affected by the shortage.
KFC’s franchise brand owner, Restaurant Brands, says Whanganui’s KFC’s temporary closure was ‘‘extremely unusual’’ and may have been due to one-off rostering issues.
However, chief financial officer Grant Ellis acknowledges finding good staff is ‘‘a constant challenge’’.
The worsening shortage is thought to be due, in large part, to a nine-year low in unemployment, and a perception of poor pay and long hours.
In January’s Trade Me Jobs figures, job ads for retail and hospitality workers were up 30 per cent on a year ago.
Retail New Zealand spokesman Greg Harford says there is a broad lack of skilled retail workers, ‘‘and the Government has taken steps to make it even harder to bring in retail managers from overseas’’.
Retail suffered from a perception that it wasn’t much more than standing behind a checkout, ‘‘but it’s more complicated than that’’.
‘‘There’s marketers, web designers, logistics managers – a whole host of jobs that you need to make a retail business tick over and do well.’’
To help alleviate the shortage, Harford says the industry is making greater efforts to train people, Massey’s retail degree being one example.
It is also petitioning the Government to relax immigration criteria on retail managers.
If retailers continue to suffer staffing problems, one retail consultant predicts they might turn to technological solutions.
Chris Wilkinson, of retail consultancy First Retail Group, says self-service counters, staff-less stores like Amazon Go and variations on online shopping are all options in the near future.
These options would free up staff to roam the shop floor and act more like ambassadors.
But retailers, especially those not near a big student population, were struggling to find people who fitted the bill.
For the unskilled, there is an upside, according to Jason Walker, NZ managing director of Hays Specialist Recruitment.
At the moment, young graduates are soaking up many hospitality or retail jobs, so employers will delay hiring the inexperienced – for a while.
But when the pain gets too much, they will find another way.
‘‘They can’t keep these jobs vacant for long. So they either look at going offshore, or they look at promoting within, or they look at investing in training and capability and that is when they start to look at taking on more grads and underskilled people to train them up.
‘‘I think we’re in a state of flux now, but after Easter, I think you’ll see changes happening and I think you’ll see salaries increase.’’
If you’re not getting any bites from your CV at present, Jason Walker suggests that maybe it’s your skills.
‘‘It’s pretty much a skewed market.at the moment. If you’ve got qualifications, skills or experience, then you’re in demand.
‘‘If you’re unskilled or semiskilled, it’s still very tough. Even for graduates.’’
Before one points the finger at immigration, Walker says it seems clear some jobs such as cleaning always struggle to attract Kiwi workers, even the long-term unemployed.
But the improving economy means there will be soon be fewer reasons not to work.
‘‘When we went through the last building boom, we got down to 3.6 per cent unemployment ... so even those who were the most unemployable were still getting jobs. And we’re moving towards that way again, but in a more sustainable environment.’’
It’s not just warm bodies that we need. People have really high expectations now with online reviews and criticisms. Mike Egan, Restaurant Association president, below CRAIG SIMCOX / FAIRFAXNZ