The industries that need you: Hawke's Bay's summer of labour shortages set to hit harder than ever

Hawke's Bay businesses across a variety of industries are facing another challenging year with not enough staff. Photo / NZME

If you need a summer job, you're in luck. But if you need a summer worker, join the queue.

Hospitality, retail, farmworkers, tractor drivers, apple pickers, tradies and many more industries are either in the middle of a labour shortage, or staring down the barrel of one.

Silver Fern Farms alone has about 150 vacant roles across its sites in Hawke's Bay, part of about 550 vacancies across the country, its general manager of people Matt Ballard says.

"Accessing skilled labour to run our processing facilities is becoming more difficult each year, and this season has not been helped by low unemployment levels and stringent immigration rules.

"When you also consider the ongoing risks that Covid presents, this peak season will be one of our most challenging to date."

Ballard pointed to a 10 per cent lift in the minimum hourly productive rate paid to existing and new employees at all Silver Fern Farm sites - now $24 per hour - in collaboration with the New Zealand Meat Workers Union.

"In addition to this base wage increase, we've also started rolling out other staff initiatives such as transport options, financial advice, regular staff meat sales and scholarships for students who are dependents of employees.

"Helping our staff learn as well as earn will be a key driver for retention."

This included the rollout of its Frontline Leadership Training programme and extension of the Muster your Mates programme which rewards existing staff for successfully referring new employees to work at Silver Fern Farms.

Federated Farmers Hawke's Bay president and Bridge Pa sheep and beef farmer Jim Galloway said it was pretty hard to find people, no matter what business you're in.

"It's been ongoing for quite some time with the freezing works having an issue there."

Finding experienced staff, particularly seasonal contractors, was also challenging, he said.

"They've had a real issue getting for those top of the range harvesters.

"When you're driving a three-quarters of a million-dollar machine you want someone who knows what they're doing."

Part of the problem with seasonal labour was that it's "near impossible" to keep them employed all year round.

Federated Farmers Hawke's Bay president and Bridge Pa sheep and beef farmer, Jim Galloway, said finding experienced, seasonal staff was especially difficult. Photo / NZME

Ordinarily, contractors would chase the harvest seasons, travelling between New Zealand and Australia and Europe, he explained.

"It has been a real issue to get experienced people in.

"It has meant more work for everyone just to fill the gaps."

Federated Farmers, along with other industry bodies, recently appealed to the Government to allow for an extra 2,400 workers - 1,500 in dairy support, 500 rural contractors, 300 shearers and 100 veterinarians - into the country.

The industry was adapting, though, like one dairy farmer in Central Hawke's Bay who had hired two inexperienced people and changed the operation to suit them.

"He has had a very good run with them and is quite happy," Galloway said.

Incentives like free offerings of wet weather gear had helped with supporting new people to the industry, he added.

Competition for labour from the horticulture sector has previously been pointed to as the cause of shortages in other parts of the sector, with incentives driving competition for staff.

Yummy Fruit Company general manager Paul Paynter said every grower he knew had staff vacancies due to the labour shortage and closed borders. Photo / NZME

Yummy Fruit Company general manager Paul Paynter said the return of RSE (recognised seasonal employment) workers had helped with labour woes but he was still missing about two-thirds of his seasonal staff.

He has about 212 permanent staff - the remaining seasonal staff are made up of about a third of other Kiwis, a third RSEs and a third of backpackers.

Before Covid-19 about two years ago he had about 130 backpackers.

Last season he was down to 12 and was expecting next to none this season.

"Basically, the backpackers are gone. There are no Kiwis.

"Where do I get the other two thirds from?"

Paynter said while students returning from uni would help, many were due back the day he started apple picking and he felt he was "completely screwed" for February.

"It's a stressful time for employers.

"Everybody out there is short of people."

He said it was small businesses suffering the most, with the labour shortage contributing to burnout and stress, driving further job losses.

"The number one thing that would alleviate it would be access to labour."

It came down to allowing more people into the country, he said.

Many Napier CBD businesses in the hospitality and retail sector were struggling to find staff, said Pip Thompson, general manager of Napier Business Inc. Photo / NZME

Pip Thompson, general manager of Napier Business Inc, agreed, saying opening the borders sooner would help resolve the issue.

Representing over 400 businesses, including in the retail and hospitality sector, she said a number of CBD businesses were struggling to find staff.

"The border closure is a major issue," she said.

"Working holiday visitors, backpackers and university students generally make up the summer season workforce."

The vaccine mandate required for hospitality workers had added pressure and stress to business, as had the requirement to control entry for vaccinated people, Thompson said.

Many businesses were considering reduced hours and days of operation as a result, she said.

Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said when announcing the next steps for New Zealand's borders opening next year he was aware that many wanted it to happen sooner.

"Some people and businesses want us to start to open up before Christmas. That's understandable, but others want us to be more cautious."

He said the end of heavily restricted travel was now in sight but with cases still surging in Europe and other parts of the world, they needed to be "very careful" when reopening the border.