Northland workers in niche areas are finding themselves jobless - so where do they go? Photo / 123rf
Redundancy is back in the spotlight after 58 roles were disestablished at NorthTec. It’s part of a wider trend across the country as the public and private sectors tighten their belts. So, when a person loses their job, where do they go?
Tertiary Education Union organiser Jill Jones says redundancy can have a deep effect on a person’s sense of identity.
Jones has dealt with many redundancy proposals over the years, the latest being NorthTec.
The result of redundancy went far beyond the financial implications, especially if people were qualified in a niche area.
“It can make it incredibly difficult for them to find another job, especially if they have a commitment to a particular subject, and it becomes part of their identity in a sense,” Jones said.
“The narrower the field, the less likely it is you’re going to find employment.”
Jones said one man had told her he had still not told his adult children he had been made redundant, despite it happening months earlier.
“Because he felt embarrassed and ashamed.”
She pointed out that people who worked in roles with cultural or social impact sometimes experienced a loss of mana as well.
Redundancies are just one of the hardships faced by Northlanders.
Between September 2024 and 2025, the proportion of the working-age population receiving Jobseeker Support increased in most regions, according to Work and Income data.
By the end of September, Northland had the highest proportion receiving Jobseeker Support, at 11.4%.
That coincided with a surge in applications per job listing on Trade Me from July to September, where applications were up 11.8% quarter on quarter.
Though Work and Income had no data readily available to illustrate how many of those on Jobseeker Support had been made redundant, layoffs have undoubtedly played a part.
People Potential chief executive Bronwyn Ronayne recalled that one of the biggest redundancy bouts in Northland was when the Marsden Point oil refinery closed in 2022.
Many people were left with “niche” skills that they struggled to transfer.
There were now “really nice stories” starting to emerge of people who had started their own businesses and made opportunities out of the change, she said.
“There are so many people I can think of personally who are made redundant who are doing really cool stuff.”
Northland’s jobseeker levels came as no surprise to her.
“I think Northland’s always a bit slower to come out of whatever economic impact there is, a bit slower to recover from the knocks.”
Muriel Willem, director and lead careers practitioner at New Focus NZ, said the wellbeing and community-development company had noticed an increase in redundancies over the last six months.
That was particularly in trades associated with building projects that had stalled with the economic downturn, as well as hospitality after cafe closures.
She said clients who had been made redundant often worked through shock, disappointment, sadness and anger.
“The process can be an emotional rollercoaster, especially for those who haven’t needed to update a CV for years or previously found work through word of mouth.”
Willem said people over 60 struggled disproportionately with redundancy.
“Often they have CVs full of experience and knowledge, yet with retirement only a few years away and competition from younger applicants who may accept lower pay rates, they are often overlooked in the job market.”
However, she said mental health was often the greatest barrier for anyone returning to employment.
Trade Me data from July to September showed a 2% decrease in job listings in Northland, which head of Trade Me jobs Nicole Williams said was driven by major centres like Auckland and Wellington recording drops.
“We know job hunters are still finding it tough to land on their feet with the unemployment rate [nationally] at 5.2%,” Williams said.
Northland received the highest growth in applications per listing year-on-year.
Trades and services had the most listings started (approximately 22%), and this category saw 4.7% quarter-on-quarter growth and +14.1% year-on-year growth.
Other categories experiencing quarter-on-quarter growth in the region were transport and logistics (up 24.2%), retail (23.3%), healthcare (18.3%) and construction and roading (17.6%).
The average salary for Northland jobs listed during the July-September quarter was $73,858, a record high.
Brodie Stone covers crime and emergency for the Northern Advocate. She has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.