Hired! Over 500 People Employed Thanks To Auckland Airport Job Fair, But Major Staff Shortages Remain

With thousands of jobs lying vacant across the airport system, travellers may experience longer wait times when flying this summer, despite the successful mid-year job fair.

While Auckland Airport’s Job Fair provided a welcome boost to the recruitment drive of major airport employers, who filled more than 500 roles or 17% of jobs available at the time of the one-day event, there are still currently around 1600 unfilled roles across the airport precinct.

“We’re pleased with how the Job Fair went in July and the conversion rate that was achieved, but organisations right across the airport system continue to struggle to fill thousands of vacancies, to the tune of about 1,600 roles right now,” said Auckland Airport Chief Executive Carrie Hurihanganui.

Available jobs extend across cabin crew, airline check-in, baggage handling, security, airport operations and emergency services through to qualified trades, infrastructure development roles, warranted government officers, retail assistants, hotel staff, chefs, baristas, cleaners and waste management professionals.

“These are all crucial roles that help keep the airport ecosystem running smoothly. Travel has rebounded strongly after the borders re-opened and these businesses are crying out for staff from entry-level roles through to senior positions,” Ms Hurihanganui said.

As the peak Christmas travel season approaches, Ms Hurihanganui is asking travellers to plan ahead and get to the airport early, as there may be additional queues and delays when departing, as well as arriving into New Zealand.

“Everyone at Auckland Airport is incredibly excited to see travel returning and to help get people where they want to be these holidays. If you’re travelling this Christmas, we kindly ask for your patience as unfortunately, there could be some longer wait times,” she said.

Many airport businesses had once relied on seasonal workers to help bolster their teams during the summer peak, and immigration had an important role to play in alleviating staffing pressures, Ms Hurihanganui said.

“Labour shortages are a consistent story across many industries and the airport system is not alone in feeling the effects of the labour crunch and the impact that has on its customers.”

Strong interest in Auckland Airport Job Fair

Hosted by Auckland Airport, the job fair on 30 July gave more than 4000 job seekers an opportunity to connect to 30 major airport employers who had around 3000 jobs on offer at the time.

“The aim was to make it as easy as possible for job seekers to see the huge variety of airport roles available and talk direct to the hiring teams. For employers, it provided the opportunity to talk to a wide range of job seekers in one go and receive on-the-spot applications. We’ll continue to work with our airport partners, including considering the potential for a second job fair in 2023.”

In the meantime, recruitment continues for entry level to highly skilled trade, specialist and degree-qualified roles across the airport. The airport company currently has 67 vacancies, including dozens in operations and infrastructure.

“Auckland Airport is starting to buzz again and it’s a lively and dynamic place to work with literally hundreds of exciting job opportunities on offer,” Ms Hurihanganui said.

“If you’re someone who loves travel and the broader aviation industry, it’s a great time to join the wide range of teams operating at Auckland Airport.”

To enquire about current vacancies at Auckland Airport, please visit the following links:

https://corporate.aucklandairport.co.nz/sustainability/careers

https://careers.compass-group.co.nz/home

https://www.qantas.com/nz/en/about-us/qantas-careers.html

https://careers.airnewzealand.co.nz/search-jobs

https://www.aviation.govt.nz/careers

https://www.emiratesleisureretail.com/careers

https://www.lsg-group.com/careers

https://www.seek.co.nz/loop-duty-free-jobs

https://www.seek.co.nz/aelia-jobs

https://www.seek.co.nz/Delaware-North-jobs

https://www.seek.co.nz/DFS-New-Zealand-Limited-jobs

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