Skills shortage hurting small businesses
Almost half of New Zealand employers are struggling to fill jobs, John Anthony writes.
James Richardson, says a lack of skilled workers is hampering his ability to grow his leather goods business. He is not alone. Almost half of New Zealandemployers are struggling to fill jobs compared to about 40 per cent globally, according to recruitment firm Manpower.
One of those is James Richardson , owner of Sonder Leather in Ilam, Christchurch.
Richardson said he had been looking for skilled staff to work at his Christchurch handcrafted going to allocate a substantial portion to taking on a staff member, they need to wear a lot of different hats within the company.’’
Manpower‘s survey of more than 650 businesses showed skilled trades, engineers and sales staff were most in demand.
Manpower Australia New Zealand managing director Richard Fischer said New Zealand’s construction boom was responsible for driving demand in these jobs.
‘‘The construction industry is still showing consistently strong demand from large infrastructure projects,’’ Fischer said.
A quarter of employers having difficulty filling jobs said a lack of available applicants was to blame followed by a lack of skills and lack of experience. Four out of five employers were choosing to train and develop existing workers to fill jobs, he said.
This pointed to a new trend in recruiting that focused on a candidate’s ability to adapt and learn, Fischer said.
An ANZ survey of about 250 small firms showed net 17 per cent were confident about the year ahead, up from net 8 per cent in June.
Business confidence is measured by optimistic responses minus pessimistic responses.
Businesses employing six to 20 employees were the most optimistic in the September quarter, with net 26 per cent feeling confident.
ANZ retail and business banking general manager Andrew Webster said medium sized businesses had the strongest hiring and investment intentions and profit expectations with net 42 per cent expecting business activity to lift.
Smaller businesses were less euphoric, but still feeling positive about levels of business activity, investment and profits with net 30 per cent expecting business activity to increase over the coming year, he said.
Small businesses in the services and construction sector and increasingly agriculture were feeling particularly positive, he said.
‘‘While there’s still a way to go for the agricultural sector, the recent lift in dairy prices appears to be giving businesses something to look forward to,’’ Webster said.