Covid-19 has significantly impacted many areas of business across the past year. One of the effects that has hit
companies the hardest is the lack of migrant workers entering New Zealand. Many industries rely heavily on people
entering New Zealand to complete the work. Agriculture, the automotive industry, and technology companies are amongst
the sectors most affected by this.
On sites such as TradeMe, the number of available job listings has skyrocketed by as much as 15% in the first quarter of
2021, compared with the same period in 2019. This is excellent news for job seekers but not as good for companies who
are struggling to attract the right type of talent.
Unfortunately for business owners, it’s not just about getting job applicants, but candidates with the skills needed to
do the work. While there are certainly people who’ve been made redundant due to the effects of Covid-19, they don’t
necessarily have the knowledge or ability to fill available positions. The skills shortage is becoming an increasingly
pressing concern for businesses.
So, what’s the solution? Workers need to not just apply for jobs but upskill to be ideally suited to those roles. Many
people may end up going back to study to become viable candidates for open positions.
Business owners will increasingly focus on opportunities for networking in NZ, as this is how they can locate people with the talent they require in their organisations.
Eventually, we may have more people coming into the country. However, it is likely to take a significant length of time
before we start to see the numbers we used to have coming across the border. People are likely to remain hesitant to
travel or move to a new country long after the vaccine roll-out.