Employment

Having a job is key to being able to provide for yourself and your family.

In these tough economic times we’re working hard to help people stay in work, or get a job if they are not already in work. For those who can’t find work, we will be here to help, but our first priority will always be to get people back into the  workplace as soon as possible.

Our local labour market
Our local economy is heavily influenced by our key industries: forestry, agriculture, viticulture, aquaculture and mining. Fishing continues to be an important industry for us. Tourism is another key contributor to our local economy, as we are home to five national parks, four marine reserves and stunning landscapes. The retail and hospitality industries also benefit directly from visitors to our region. Despite the current economic environment, much is being done to prepare for the future.

In a changing economic environment, it is important to focus our efforts on working smarter and better. One of the ways we are doing this is by working more closely with employers, so we can match people’s skills to employers’ needs. In some instances, this means connecting individuals with training to ensure they have the right skills to get into work and stay in work.

Working with employers

We co-hosted a regional economic summit with the Nelson Economic Development Agency and local councils. The event focused on keeping businesses and the local community informed about the economy and its local impacts. The event was attended by 230 people, who heard presentations from the Hon Nick Smith, Tim Hampton from the Reserve Bank, Dominick Stephens from Westpac and John McCliskie from The Heartland Group.

The summit has led to the implementation of a number of local initiatives addressing the current economic situation. We are capturing data on businesses considering downsizing or closing, so that we can act quickly to offer support.

Help keep businesses going
Businesses with more than 50 employees that are experiencing a temporary downturn can get extra help from us through the Job Support Scheme. The scheme pays an allowance for those workers who agree to work reduced hours. This means employers can keep as many jobs as possible while firms’ earnings are down.

National industry/employer partnerships
We work with industries at a national level to minimise skill and labour shortages, and to maximise job opportunities. We currently have 80 industry and major employer partnerships. These partnerships include those with industries like agriculture, construction and hospitality. We also have partnerships with regional Chambers of Commerce and large employers like Telecom, Air New Zealand, Fonterra, Westpac and McDonald’s.

Straight 2 Work
We run Straight 2 Work programmes with most of our industry and employer partners. These programmes offer both pre- and post-employment training and support. They are developed by industries for industries, tailoring the training to meet the needs of employers.

Getting people into work

Our ‘Work First’ focus
We are finding that the type of person coming to us for job search help has changed - they have more skills and a different expectation of our services. This has meant that we have had to respond to better meet their needs.

We have changed our service delivery model to give people the help they need to get back into work quickly. We have improved the ease of finding work for self driven jobseekers, improved our services to employers, and ensured that appropriate job vacancies are made more readily available. If a person loses their job, it’s important they find another one quickly. They are more likely to be attractive to employers while their skills are current and they still have confidence.

Help for people affected by redundancy
Despite a business’s best efforts to stay afloat, there will be times when it’s not enough. When this happens, we will work hard to help those people worst affected by redundancy to find other job opportunities. In consultation with the employer, we offer individualised redundancy support packages that suit the needs of the employer and the affected staff member. When employers need the support of Inland Revenue or Career Services, we work together to assist them. We provide them with information that is helpful and easily available to those affected by redundancy.

For people who have been made redundant and can’t find other work, we deliver the ReStart package. ReStart provides financial assistance for up to 16 weeks for those who need a little extra help after being made redundant.

We want to get people into work and to stay in work. In 2009/2010 we’ll:

• form partnerships with local industries and employers to help them get the right people with the right skills
• make sure jobseekers have the right information about our local labour market
• ensure that jobseekers who are finding it difficult to get work or to stay in work get help to find employment and support to stay there.

We are also making more places available for our young people in industry partnership programmes.