Northland’s Industrial and Trades Workers Amongst Best Paid In Country
• Women underrepresented, and paid less, across blue collar industries
Auckland – 22 January 2018 – OneStaff today released its What’s My Rate? New Zealand Industrial and Trades Wage Report.
Produced by specialist recruitment agency OneStaff, the What’s My Rate? New Zealand Industrial and Trades Wage Report
gives in-depth analysis of New Zealand’s core industrial sectors: manufacturing, production & logistics; commercial & hospitality; trades & services; construction & infrastructure; and engineering.
Regional differences
The survey of more than 10,000 kiwis found that, on average, blue collar workers in Northland and Auckland are paid the
highest at $25 an hour, whilst those in Palmerston North/Whanganui and the West Coast are paid the lowest at $21 an
hour. However, Northland’s cost of living is significantly lower than more metropolitan areas like Auckland, Wellington,
or Christchurch.
“If you’re working within New Zealand’s industrial industries, a shift to Northland might be the best option for your
back pocket,” said Jonathan Ives, Group General Manager, OneStaff. “There’s also a bit of a spike in Taranaki with the
average worker getting $24 an hour. What we’re saying to wage workers is this – think twice before choosing to settle
down in places where cost of living can outstrip wage gains, such as Auckland or Queenstown.”
Gender representation
Women were found to be underrepresented (just under 14 percent of workers) and paid less in nearly all industries within
the report:
• Trades, services and engineering sectors are 1 percent female and paid $5 p/h less
• Construction and infrastructure sectors are 4 percent female and paid $4 p/h less
• Manufacturing, production and logistics sectors are 12 percent female and $1 p/h less
• Commercial and hospitality sectors are 69 percent and female achieved pay parity.
“While we applaud the commercial and hospitality sectors for bridging the gender pay gap, there’s work yet to be done in
all other sectors surveyed. Our advice is if there are women working the same jobs as men for less money, it should be
promptly addressed. When it comes to job happiness and satisfaction, equal pay and equal opportunities are critical,”
said Mr Ives.
Workplace satisfaction
Pay remains a critical, but not the only, factor to creating a happy and satisfied worker. Leading by example is the
number one preferred management trait - no matter people’s gender or generation. Interestingly, the opportunity to work
overtime actually increases workplace satisfaction.
“What we saw in the report was that people need a range of things to be happy at work. Good and fair pay and management
are mainstays. However, the shift we’re seeing is that the opportunity for overtime improves a worker’s happiness with
their level of pay and their workplace satisfaction – likely because it gives people the chance to earn more,” said Mr
Ives.
What’s My Rate? New Zealand Industrial and Trades Wage Report is a comprehensive look into New Zealand’s industrial
sector and aims to empower employees and employers to improve working life across the country.
“With very low unemployment at 3.9 percent, many industries are experiencing staff shortages, so understanding what’s
important to employees, whether that’s pay or management style, can help businesses provide the most attractive job
offers and attract the best people,” said Mr Ives.
The What’s My Rate? Report includes a salary index for a range of jobs, which is divided into region, providing median
remuneration benchmarks that are useful for businesses, employees and jobseekers alike. The report also covers areas
such as workplace satisfaction, management preferences, and the impact of experience, gender and age on earning
potential.
To download the full report, including industry specific summaries, please visit www.onestaff.co.nz
Methodology and margin of error
The 2018 What’s My Rate report collates the responses of a sample size of 10,176 New Zealanders in the industrial and
trades professions. The anonymous responses were collected through an online survey tool (www.whatsmyrate.co.nz) between November 2017 and June 2018. Margin of error for the total sample is +/- 1 percent at a 95 percent confidence
level.
About OneStaff
OneStaff is New Zealand's leading industrial recruitment agency. Working from a network of 16 local branches, OneStaff
delivers recruitment and staffing solutions across the country, combining national reach with local expertise.
Specialist OneStaff Recruitment Consultants work alongside both candidates and clients, connecting highly skilled people
with temporary and permanent job opportunities, whilst supporting the local communities OneStaff work with. The OneStaff
group of companies are 100% NZ owned and operated.
For more information, visit www.onestaff.co.nz
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