Rotorua bucks national trend with job market booming

Rotorua's job market is 'booming' recruitment companies say as employment confidence soars with the tourism and healthcare sectors leading the charge.

Destination Rotorua chief executive Michelle Templer said the tourism industry provided about 23 per cent of jobs in the city and it was continuously working on attracting and developing talent.

Read more: Want a job? Rotorua hospitality booming but staff needed

She said the peak season was in full swing and the organisation was working on numerous initiatives including a summer intern programme, science related career pathways for tertiary students and this week it was hosting the Tertiary Education Commission and the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment.

Trade Me Head of Jobs Jeremy Wade said Rotorua had bucked the national trend with a 2.4 per cent lift in the number of new job listings in the December quarter compared to the same time the year before.

There was a 17 per cent jump in applications and the healthcare sector featured strongly.

Meanwhile, Wade said a part-time role at Countdown Fairy Springs was the most viewed job in Rotorua which fetched 2000 views.

Read more: Big jump in Bay of Plenty healthcare job advertisements

Medcall regional manager for the Bay of Plenty and Waikato, Shirley West, said the temp agency was continually recruiting and ''we are the busiest we have ever been''.

She said its main business was the aged care sector, private hospitals and rest homes.

''Our clients expect our staff to hit the ground running ... we provide registered nurses, caregivers, support workers and home carers. A lot of our staff enjoy the flexibility and lifestyle of temping while others are between jobs.''

1st Call Recruitment managing director Phill Van Syp said it was ''flat tack and we are struggling to find candidates, which is indicative of the market''.

He said Rotorua had forestry and tourism which was in its peak season.

''It is a busy little city and it does really well.''

Talent Id director Kellie Hamlett agreed and said a lot of new roles had emerged in 2020 and it was good time for job seekers to be looking.

Demand had increased for accounts, management and HR positions but ''you have to remember beginning of the year is always buoyant and it's not unusual for it to be booming''.

It was also not unusual for popular roles like administration to attract 100 applicants.

Read more: Rotorua job boom: Where the skills shortages are

Olivia Elmiger, 19, was living the high life with Rotorua Canopy Tours.

She said jobs in tourism were always easy to come by in Rotorua, as it was the lifeblood of the city's economy.

As a fairly new employee, she said she really enjoyed the job and loved the people she met from all over the world while doing it.

"You can end up in some incredible places with the connections you can make in a job in tourism."

Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick said a healthy local job market was good news for job seekers and the economy in general if it resulted in increased consumer spending.

''Following on from reports of improved household confidence in our region's economy and some businesses enjoying a possibly record holiday period, it suggests key sectors are doing well and employers in those sectors are also feeling positive.''

''As our district is going through a re-shaping, so is our education sector and given the current active job market it's a rich time to get young people linked to career pathways through tertiary training and trade training.''

Retail NZ chief executive Greg Harford said retail like other sectors struggles to find skilled workers to fill roles.

''Retailers are generally keen to employ Kiwis who want to work, but there is a real lack of skilled workers available and there is strong competition from other sectors.''

Retailers were often looking for enthusiastic people who are literate and numerate, focused on delivering great customer experiences, and who are willing to learn new skills.

Harford said there were good career pathways doing roles including logistics, procurement, social media, marketing and digital marketing, design, IT, baking and people leadership.

Read more: More listings, more competition for Rotorua jobs

Hospitality New Zealand Bay of Plenty regional manager Alan Sciascia said businesses were finding it difficult to get experienced, qualified staff and meet rising costs.

''Where costs increase retailers have only two options, absorb these costs (in full or in part) or increase prices to customers. Increasingly retailers are taking the latter option simply to survive as profit margins are so slim.''

A lot of barriers had been put in place in the last two years and stricter rules on foreign workers was also taking a toll as many worked in the industry.

According to Stats NZ latest data there are about 157,000 employed people in the Bay of Plenty and 6200 unemployed, while the unemployment rate was 3.8 per cent.