Hon Louise Upston

Minister for Women
8 September 2015

Businesses gain by utilising women’s skills

Minister for Women Louise Upston has today launched a new report detailing how employers can make the most of women’s talents in their workplace.

“Getting it done: Utilising women’s skills in the workforce is a product of the Ministry for Women’s work with partners in Canterbury to increase women’s work choices and boost the number of women in trades,” says Ms Upston.

“This report presents lessons learned in Canterbury that can work in all regions of New Zealand to encourage employers, industry groups, training organisations and schools to increase the number of women training and working in trades and construction jobs.

“This work in Canterbury has contributed to a huge jump in the number of women employed in construction in the region, from 3600 to 8600 in the past two years.”

With the high demand for skilled workers in Canterbury forecast to continue, some businesses are continuing to have difficulty attracting skilled workers to fill jobs.

“My message to employers is to consider all workers when they recruit for their industries. Women’s talents in the labour market are underutilised and women are significantly under-represented across the construction and trades, engineering and digital technology industries.

“These industries are likely to drive New Zealand’s growth in the next five to 10 years, so it makes good business sense to attract women to trade industries.

“I encourage employers to learn from Canterbury what actions they can take to attract and retain more women,” says Ms Upston.

ENDS

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