Creating a skilled construction workforce to rebuild Christchurch

The role of labour and skills in
Canterbury’s recovery
• Unprecedented impacts require a concerted focus on rebuilding and developing Canterbury
• Construction workers will be needed at the right time with the right skills
• Canterbury Employment and Skills Board is working to CERA to coordinate and align effort to ensure we have an appropriately skilled workforce
• We need to work together with employers to ensure that our efforts are well aligned

Skilled labour will need to come from a number of sources
Existing workers
Immigration
Employment
& skills for construction
Education and training
Labour market programmes
(e.g. Work &
Income)

The rebuild will require a substantial increase in the construction workforce
• Workforce projections indicate around 30,000 extra workers for the peak over and above the existing workforce
• Six occupations comprise almost 45% of this number
• Actual numbers may vary depending on the pace and scale of the rebuild, BUT
• We need to gear up for a substantial increase in the construction workforce now

Six construction occupations will need to be grown substantially
6000
5000
4000
3000
5365
2000
1000
2242
0
Carpenters and Joiners Painting Trades
Workers
1995
1716
Concreters
Trade
Plasterers
1178
Bricklayers and
Stonemasons
906
Wall and Floor Tilers

• The construction industry has attracted many workers from similar industries and outside the labour market during previous building booms
• Fewer additions have come from education and training and people moving off benefit
• The Construction Industry has under utilised capacity at present
• HOWEVER the rebuild of Christchurch will create unprecedented demand for new workers

The Government has put in place extra funding to meet the expected demand for skilled workers:
 A $42 million Skills for Canterbury package to fund extra trade training places
 $5 million extra support through Work and
Income for supporting people into work
 A combined skills shortage list has been developed for Canterbury currently focussed on skilled occupations

Where might extra workers come from?
Occupational group Qualification and/or experience requirement
Possible sources of supply
Labourers
Trades workers
Skilled workers/professionals
Other (non construction specific occupations such as management)
Work experience, some qualifications ALMPs, some tertiary education including industry training
Level 3 or 4 certificate, some diplomas Polytechnics, industry training, some immigration
Degree, some diplomas University, polytechnics and immigration
As above No specific training requirements expected for this group

Summary of the supply initiatives Govt
Supply area has leverage with
Rest of New Zealand Canterbury annual net contribution
Total possible supply
Education and training 800 14,500 15,300
ALMPs 5,740 660 (plus up to 250 in construction related training)
5,080
230 2,200 Immigration 2,430
TOTALS 1,690 21,780 23,470

• Most of the workers needed for construction in
Christchurch are already in the labour market
• Education and training initiatives, Labour Market programmes and Immigration are all set to help – but their combined effort will not provide all the workers needed
• Govt has a clear priority to train and employ New
Zealanders first
• Good employer practices is needed to recruit and retain a skilled construction workforce
• We need to work closely together to ensure that employers can attract and retain the workers they need

• The total numbers of construction workers needed may vary depending on the speed and extent of the rebuild and repair task
• There may be leakage of skilled workers from
Canterbury & rest of NZ due to outmigration and/or other labour market opportunities
• The ability to attract workers to Canterbury from the rest of NZ and offshore will depend on issues such as accommodation and the extent of further seismic activity

• Information and assistance is available for firms wanting to recruit or train workers for construction
• Please take this information and key messages to your firms and supply chains
• We need further information about employers’ recruitment intentions and the skills they need for their workforce
• Please indicate how you would like to be kept in touch

• Provision for up to 20,000 full time equivalent training places nationally
• Work and Income can provide pre-employment training
• Polytechnics and private trainers focus primarily on off-the-job training
• Industry training focus is on-the-job (via a consortium of Built Environment ITOs)
• Universities focus on construction related professionals such as surveying and engineering

• Work and Income can assist employers in a number of ways including:
– Industry partnerships which can provide training and wage subsidies
– 3 new programmes just for Canterbury
– Youth specific programmes
– Enterprise training for those starting businesses
– Limited service volunteers run out of Burnham
– Assistance for redundant workers

• New skill shortage list for Canterbury
• Skilled migrant programme for permanent residence
• Temporary work permits for occupations on the Immigration Essential Skills in Demand lists
• Accredited employer programme
• Assistance with trade fairs and promotion for offshore markets

Sources of information and key contacts
• Education and training
• Labour market programmes
• Immigration
• CESB Web Site etc