Solving the Talent
Shortage in New Zealand

44% of New Zealand employers say they can’t fill open jobs. That’s the lowest in 7 years.

The New Zealand talent shortage figure compares to a global average of 45%. Now in its 12th year, the ManpowerGroup Talent Shortage research is the largest global human capital survey of its kind.

Read on to see what's driving this skills gap and discover a new approach to the talent shortage: build, buy, borrow or bridge to ensure your workforce has the talent it needs to remain competitive in the digital age.

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44%

of employers in New Zealand report
difficulty recruiting

Shortage in New Zealand Over Time

Globally we found that more employers than ever are struggling to fill open jobs. In New Zealand 44% say they can’t find the skills they need, and for large organisations (250+ employees) it’s even higher with 81% reporting talent shortages in 2018.

Watch to Find Out More About the Global Talent Shortage

Talent Shortage by Company Size

In New Zealand large companies (250+ employees) have nearly three times as much difficulty filling roles as micro firms (less than 10 employees).

Medium organisations (50-249) are feeling the pinch too, with 61% struggling to attract the skills they need. Small employers (10-49 employees) are doing slightly better, with 44% reporting skills shortages.

Which Roles Are Most Difficult to Fill in New Zealand?

Skilled Trades followed by Sales Representatives and Engineers are the hardest roles to fill in New Zealand.

Top Drivers of Talent Shortage

Lack of applicants, lack of experience, lack of required hard skills are the top drivers of talent shortages in New Zealand. As companies go digital and roles transform, finding candidates with the right blend of technical skills and human strengths, such as communication, collaboration and problem solving, is more important than ever.

Color key

Lack of applicants
Lack of experience
Applicants lack required hard skills

Applicants lack required soft skills
Applicants expect higher pay than offered
Applicants expecting better benefits than offered

An issue specific to my organization
Other/don’t know

Leveraging the Talent Shortage Research

Winning in the digital age demands faster, more targeted approaches than ever before. To keep pace in today’s Skills Revolution an effective talent strategy should comprise a blend of four key elements: build, buy, borrow and bridge.

Build

INVEST IN LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT TO GROW YOUR TALENT PIPELINE

Buy

GO TO MARKET TO ATTRACT TALENT THAT CANNOT BE BUILT IN-HOUSE

Borrow

CULTIVATE COMMUNITIES OF TALENT OUTSIDE THE ORGANISATION

Bridge

HELP PEOPLE MOVE ON AND MOVE UP TO NEW ROLES INSIDE OR OUTSIDE THE ORGANISATION

What Does Success Look Like?

Learn how ManpowerGroup has helped organisations from around the world address their toughest talent shortage challenges.

North America: A Unique Combination Delivers a Successful Volume Recruiting Strategy

One of the world’s largest food and beverage companies was struggling to fill several thousand roles in a short period of time.

New Zealand: End-to-End Support Enables IT Firm to Source Hard-to-Find Talent

A leading provider of IT products and services experienced challenges recruiting highly specialised talent.

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Let’s Discuss Your Talent
Shortage Challenges

An organisation’s unique challenges around talent shortage requires a personalised approach. As workforce experts, ManpowerGroup New Zealand finds work for millions of people every year across 80 countries, helping hundreds of thousands of companies attract, assess, develop, and retain skilled workers.

Find out how we can help your organisation find and retain the best talent in this digital age.

Solving the TalentShortage in New Zealand

44%

of employers in New Zealand reportdifficulty recruiting