Temporary and contract solutions a driving force

Temporary and contract solutions a driving force of job creation in New Zealand

The use of temporary and contract staff is set to increase further in New Zealand, according to recruiting experts Hays. Data from the recruiter’s annual Hays Salary Guide shows 21 per cent of employers in New Zealand now engage contract and temporary staff on a regular ongoing basis. Another 41 per cent do so for special projects or workloads. Looking ahead, 18 per cent intend to further increase their use of temporary and contract staff in the next 12 months.

“A rise in projects, the attractiveness of a flexible workforce and the shortage of highly-skilled professionals for permanent positions has driven up demand for temporary and contract staff in many organisations across New Zealand,” says Adam Shapley, Managing Director of Hays in New Zealand.

“The on-demand and as-needed nature of temporaries and contractors is also far more cost-effective than keeping skills unessential to the day-to-day operation of an organisation in-house. That’s why we’re seeing temporary assignments at all levels, from entry to executive.”

As for the skills employers want temporary employees to bring to their team, technology and digital skills top the list (46 per cent), followed by problem solving (45 per cent), communication (41 per cent), critical thinking (34 per cent), project management (24 per cent) and vocational (22 per cent) skills.

Further down the list are stakeholder engagement (14 per cent), commercial or business development (also 14 per cent) and management (8 per cent) skills. Consider temporary assignments “With 18 per cent of employers intending to increase their use of temporary and contract staff, a lot of employment opportunities will pass you by if you are not open to this form of working,” says Adam. “Temporary assignments can give your career a boost just when you need it.

They allow you to gain experience in new industries, business cultures and projects, develop new contacts and push you out of your comfort zone. This will all have a positive impact on your long-term career advancement.” Hays surveyed 486 organisations in New Zealand. Hays, the world’s leading recruiting experts in qualified, professional and skilled people.

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