Agent: half of jobseekers not local

Human Resource Group director Brett Looker. Photo / John Borren

Out-of-town job seekers now make up half of the inquiries received by one Tauranga recruitment agency.

Drake branch manager Rachel Davis said it was a split market and "at least half of my inquiries a week would be from people wanting to move here from out of town".

"It's massively high, and from all over the world not just New Zealand."

Anyone skilled in construction would have a good chance of landing a job, she said.

"But there are people that approach us and sometimes Tauranga is just not a big enough city to accommodate their skill set so they would be better off going to a main centre and I'll give them that sort of feedback."

Ms Davis has recruited in Australia and Auckland and said Tauranga was a destination market and it was not usually hard to find good candidates.

Traditionally people in safe jobs "don't hop a lot ... so even though we are growing there are not the opportunities to go around".

HR Connect director Sandra Diekerhof said due to demand the company had opened an office in Tauranga.

When understanding why people might change jobs it was important to look at why people worked and their motivators, she said.

"It may not just be the dollars. It may be not be about getting another 50 cents to a dollar an hour, it may be that you have heard the company is really good at rewarding their staff and has career progression."

The culture of a company and the team fit were consistent reasons people gave when seeking a new opportunity, she said.

Human Resource Group director Brett Looker said Tauranga was a slightly difficult market as there was a smaller employment sector and people moved positions less frequently.

"Gaining new skills and experiences in a different environment and obviously a change is as good as a holiday, sometimes invigorating people's enthusiasm and career aspirations."

But if employers were not creating opportunities for employees some might have a look to see what they could find, he said.

1st Call Recruitment managing director Phill van Syp said the "reality is if people are in senior positions they are sitting where they are ... there is not too much movement".

"Most of the good candidates we have are usually employed and we are moving them from one role to another."

But on the upside "a lot of businesses are growing and it's really positive times".

Work the magic:

* Being an "employer of choice" can give you the competitive edge for attracting talent.

* Employees who are positive about their workplace help to foster a positive attitude in the wider community.

* Increasingly businesses are adopting practices that make a positive difference for the environment and society.

* Staff are a vital business resource, so it makes sound business sense to develop and protect this resource.

Source: Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment