Looking for a job? Survey shows 88 per cent of Gore businesses are looking to hire

Thursday, 11 March 2021

Blair Sheedan, of Bill Sheedan Plumbing, said recruiting staff in Gore had always been an issue.

Business is positive in the Gore district but businesses are struggling to attract qualified staff, a survey shows.

More than 80 per cent of Gore businesses that took part in a recent survey say they are looking to employ additional staff in the coming months, but they also say their main challenge is the lack of a good, skilled workforce.

Blair Sheedan, of Bill Sheedan Plumbing, said recruiting staff in Gore had always been an issue.

'People don't tend to jump ship from one outfit to another in Gore, so trying to find someone qualified is pretty difficult. We've advertised online to try to get people but getting people to move to Gore can be difficult, there's a stigma about Gore for some reason, and it's not until people move here that they realise how good it is.'’

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Sheedan said attracting apprentice plumbers or drain layers was easier.

“The last guy we took on was a school-leaver who offered to work for a month for free to get us to take him on, but we paid him anyway. Getting adult apprentices is a bit easier, you get people who want a career change, and they have a bit more of a work ethic.'’

The survey was carried out as part of the Gore District Council's Closing the Gaps initiative. The 96 businesses that were interviewed were selected randomly and form a significant proportion of Gore based businesses, the survey results say.

Businesses across a range of sectors, including agriculture, retail, health, and education, were interviewed to determine employers' needs and requirements.

Eighty-eight percent of Gore businesses that took part in a survey said they felt confident with the business outlook in the next six months.

Of those surveyed, 88 per cent agreed they were confident with the business outlook in the next six months, notwithstanding another COVID-19 lockdown and finding experienced staff.

Sheddan said business in Gore was '’ticking over'’ and had been steady for tradespeople since level-four lockdown ended.

“A lot of people haven’t gone overseas because of Covid so they’ve had the money to do up their houses instead. Rather than spending $20,000 on three weeks in Fiji, they’ve done up their bathrooms.

“It's looking quite positive really, the increase in the dairy payout will trickle through, and that's really important to our community.'’

Almost half (47 per cent) of businesses surveyed indicated they had developed new service offerings over the past six months, including increasing their online presence, expanding current operations and/or changing the kinds of services offered.

Businesses felt a stronger sense of community, and their profile had increased because of more people buying locally. Just over a quarter (26 per cent) of businesses interviewed increased their staff in response to Covid-19.

Gore district mayor Tracy Hicks said the findings of the report were encouraging for the area.

“While we have the challenge of finding employees for businesses, it is heartening to see businesses in the Gore area are optimistic about their outlook.

“Closing the Gaps could not have come at a better time, providing businesses with financial support to help with finding staff.'’

While businesses felt confident about the future, some of the challenges they see include not getting enough product, increasing regulatory compliance, and losing current staff, mainly because of retirement and maternity leave.

A stronger focus on marketing and communications, digital technology, and HR support and advice were also cited as areas where help was needed. Over two-thirds of businesses (68 per cent) indicated a strong need for better collaboration between businesses within the Gore district.

Hicks said the report had highlighted many opportunities for the business community.

“We (the council) are excited that with the support of other organisations we can assist businesses to connect and collaborate, making us even stronger as a district,” he said

Closing the Gaps is a partnership between the council, Mayor’s Taskforce for Jobs (MTFJ), Ministry of Social Development, and Hokonui Huanui. It had been running for six weeks and had helped 25 people into employment.

Its goal is to provide financial support to Gore businesses to support young people and people impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic to get into sustainable employment.