Tauranga Chamber of Commerce chief executive Stan Gregec said the sectors that had seen the biggest increase would be the result of the growth in the city. Photo / John Borren
Tauranga Chamber of Commerce chief executive Stan Gregec said the sectors that had seen the biggest increase would be the result of the growth in the city. Photo / John Borren
Tauranga job adverts for trade and service positions have jumped nearly 50 per cent as a booming local construction industry sees strong demand for skilled trade workers.
Trade Me statistics released on Friday revealed the Bay of Plenty as the best performing region in the country for the second quarter of the year, compared to the same period last year.
Job adverts jumped 20 per cent across the region, spurred on by Tauranga which saw a 29 per cent increase in adverts on last year.
Head of Trade Me Jobs, Peter Osborne, said Tauranga had been a standout region for some time.
"It seems because Auckland is becoming a very crowded market, Tauranga is becoming quite an attractive alternative for businesses that want to grow but don't want to grow in that Auckland market," he said.
The steady increase across the trades, transport and logistics, administration, automotive, construction as well as retail reflected a healthy economy, Mr Osborne said.
"It's not just more businesses advertising online. That happens, but at a much slower rate ... that 20 per cent increase is a genuine increase in jobs."
Tauranga Chamber of Commerce chief executive Stan Gregec said the sectors that had seen the biggest increase would be the result of the growth in the city.
"One is related to the other. Job growth, in these areas, is a direct response to the high level of business confidence and building activity we have at the moment in our region."
Priority One chief executive Andrew Coker said increasing construction had created a huge demand in skilled workers.
However, it was important those increases were consistent across all sectors to balance the economy and support sustainable growth.
Priority One projects manager Annie Hill agreed it was important that job growth happened across the board, not just in population-driven industries like construction, so it could be sustained if there were a repeat of the Global Financial Crisis when construction came to a quick halt.
Tauranga Mayor Stuart Crosby said it was good to see so many opportunities in trades which made great careers for young men and women.
"We're going to need a lot more people in the trades as the city grows."
The increasing number of jobs matched recent figures, reported by the Bay of Plenty Times in May, that the Bay of Plenty had the country's strongest-growing regional economy, he said.
The important thing now was to maintain a sustainable model with strong and steady growth, he said.
Construction industry demanding workers Gartshore Ltd has increased its factory staff numbers by 60 per cent since last year, co-director Bill Gartshore says.
A busy construction industry required extra skilled workers, he said.
Bill Gartshore, Gartshore Ltd co-director, says they are looking nationally and overseas for skilled trade workers. Photo / George Novak
"The upturn in work has placed some real demand on trade services in Tauranga."
Twelve months ago, he employed about 22 people in the factory on short hours. A year on and they had 36 workers working long hours, he said.
Gartshore worked in construction, producing commercial, residential and retail interiors and joinery.
Kiwis who had moved to Australia for mining jobs were now returning home as the industry took a downturn, coming back looking for skilled trade jobs, he said.
