More workers flocking to agencies for jobs

More Tauranga workers are seeking jobs through recruitment agencies as businesses lay off staff.
All but one of agency spoken to by the Bay of Plenty Times reported growth in the number of people seeking work.
This week it was reported that four Tauranga building companies had collapsed but it is not only labourers, builders and construction workers being laid off.
Holloway Advertising also has gone into voluntary liquidation with the loss of 35 jobs.
Recruitment agencies said workers in retail, administration and marketing as well as electricians and plumbers were also finding it tough to find jobs.
However, Kevin Eder, managing director of Tradestaff, said it was merely a return to normal unemployment figures after a "boom" in the Tauranga market over recent years.
The latest figure for the Bay of Plenty showed 1487 people were unemployed at the end of March, down from the 2003 figure of 10,300.
Updated figures were expected at the end of this month.
Arthur Edwards, regional manager of Skilled Corp NZ Ltd, said a lot of those seeking work were highly qualified and finding another job was a matter of "being in the right place at the right time".
The worst-hit were house builders and he advised clients to check the newspaper, internet or go door-knocking.
"Perhaps look at a change of career until things pick up."
Allied Work Force on Marsh St had seen an extra six qualified workers lining up daily over the past couple of weeks.
Plumbers, builders and electricians were doing unqualified labour to get a day's pay but manager Ian Vandernagel said there was not an abundance of work available. Many were getting work on the new harbour bridge.
Hannelore Kemme, owner of The Right Staff said people were taking up temporary positions while they waited for permanent work.
"We have to look at their skills and be a bit more creative and see if they are transferable to other industries," she said.
Job Finders managing director Gail McKenzie said employers now had their pick of candidates.
Modern apprenticeships were still successful, she said, with more than 1000 people placed in building, hospitality and construction jobs over the past seven years.
She had seen hard times before but said predicting when things would turn around was, "a bit of crystal ball gazing".
Shelley Thomas, managing director of Right Click Employment Recruitment Solutions Ltd, had not noticed a rise in people seeking work recently. She said "recession stops when people get fed up with it."