Hired on spot - Oz job expo pulls 7000

A two-day Oz Jobs Expo in Auckland attracted 7000 people - some of whom were hired on the spot - but the Prime Minister says it is natural that some New Zealanders will shift across the Tasman.

Jason Clayton, organiser of the Oz Jobs Expo at the ASB Showgrounds at the weekend, said he would have been happy to attract 4000 jobseekers.

Instead, 7000 people paid $15 each to attend, and there were reports of long queues and traffic jams around the facility in Greenlane.

One engineering employment group hired eight people on the spot.

"They are on planes this week going to Australia to work in the mining and resources industry, and the company expects another 40 will be hired," said Mr Clayton.

Another mining industry human resources company placed six senior project managers with various companies, and the team from mining giant Rio Tinto at the event were "quite overwhelmed" by the number of applicants.

Sister companies Swan City Transit and Torrens Transit ran out of forms after receiving 300 applications for positions as bus drivers.

"They won't hire them all at once but will hire 30 before April and a large proportion of the rest over the next two years," said Mr Clayton.

Labour leader Phil Goff said the expo had highlighted big problems facing New Zealand.

"It's hardly surprising Kiwis are seeking a better deal in Australia given that wage earners here finished last year worse off than they started, with wage increases averaging just 1.7 per cent, less than half the level of the inflation rate of 4 per cent."

Prime Minister John Key was keen yesterday to play down the exodus of New Zealand workers to Australia.

He said overall net migration was 10,000 extra and the net traffic to Australia last year was 21,000, which was lower than three or four years ago when the net figure was 28,000.

"The fact that people go to an expo, that is partly explained by the fact that the [Australian] unemployment rate is lower than ours so it's understandable," he said.

Australia was an easy market for people to go to because it did not require a visa.

"But let's understand that Australia has been the best-performing economy in the developed world ... so it is natural that some New Zealanders will shift over there."

But Mr Goff said: "The big issue at the last election from John Key was that he was going to close the gap, [but] that gap has got wider ..."

However, one job seeker who attended the expo told the Herald he was disappointed with "what could only be described as a giant con job".

The man said there were about 20 mining and engineering companies who did not want CVs but just registrations of interest.

Additional reporting: NZPA