Employment was put on hold and job listings came to a standstill when Covid-19 hit but recruiters say some sectors have boomed in level 3.
Recruiters believe building, construction and horticulture could have an immediate demand for roles to help shape the level 3 economy while business leaders say manycompanies are facing difficult decisions about staff and a change in the nature of employment could be expected as business moves online and more people work from home.
The Staffroom director Jill Cachemaille said she had noticed a drop in job listings across all sectors mostly from the point of level 4 lockdown and up until then businesses were relatively positive.
"However, the Covid-19 crisis crept up quickly and suddenly jobs went on hold and job listings came to a standstill.
The Staffroom director Jill Cachemaille. Photo / File
"We feel that businesses in level 3 if anything will look to engage new staff initially in a temporary or casual nature until such time there is more certainty within the economy.
"Job listings will remain, however may take time to gain traction."
1st Call Recruitment managing director Phill van Syp had noticed a big drop in job listings last month but said the impact started much earlier due to the effect overseas.
"The wharf is one of our biggest earners in the Bay, it was already impacted before the whole lockdown. It is definitely due to what is happening internationally rather than just in the Bay of Plenty."
1st Call Recruitment managing director Phill van Syp. Photo / File
He said clients had not been able to get parts from overseas to make some of their products a month before lockdown happened.
"We were already having struggles with parts and pieces in early March and it got worse and worse. Our numbers dropped 38 per cent in that last month, everything was just quietening down way before the month of lockdown.
"But on the other end of the scale, they have just ordered a huge number of staff when they get out of lockdown because they will need to catch up."
Rotorua Chamber of Commerce chief executive Bryce Heard said falling job listings were "entirely expected" because of Covid-19 and it was going to take some time to bring back Rotorua's farming, forestry, manufacturing and tourism sectors.
In an environment where business confidence was low, Heard said employers were desperately trying to keep their staff together for as long as they could through the fight against Covid-19.
"It's about how long they can hold on before they have to let their staff go."
However, he said businesses were starting to think differently about how they worked.
"We are all learning from it. I feel there will be more business done online as we move forward when this is over."
Heard said there would also be more people working from home.
"It may change the nature of employment. When you work from home, it's about trust and output," he said.
"Employers have to trust employees and for those who micromanage coffee breaks, etc, there is no place for that in this environment. It is changing the way employers and employees relate to each other."
Chief executive of Destination Rotorua Michelle Templer. Photo / File
Chief executive of Destination Rotorua Michelle Templer said the pandemic was affecting a huge number of local businesses and the impact had been hardest felt by people working in the tourism, hospitality, retail, forestry and manufacturing sectors.
"Many local businesses are facing difficult decisions about staff and this will have an effect on the number of new jobs being listed in those industries.
"Also, fewer people, in general, are likely to move around during times of uncertainty."
However, Templer said sectors including building, construction and horticulture had immediate demand in level 3.
"We also expect to see forestry recovering quickly following pent-up demand and an ability to operate effectively with social distancing in place."
Templer said her team continued to help businesses with employer connections to try to redeploy staff, partly guided by the Ministry of Social Development's assessment of sector demand across the region.
According to jobs website Seek, the Bay was one of the areas hardest-hit by Covid-19 with job listings falling 12.6 per cent. Trade Me recorded an 18 per cent drop in listings during March alone.
The region also had one of the greatest jumps in advertised salary, up 6.6 per cent to $77,368.
