More than 360 jobs will be on offer at a special event in Queenstown this month, aiming to entice skifield workers to stay in the resort this summer.
Hospitality NZ regional boss Darelle Jenkins says the ‘speed-dating’ recruitment nights, being held in both Queenstown and Wānaka, are a collaboration between HNZ, Go With Tourism and Ministry of Social Development.
The goal is to redistribute as many of those who’ve been on short-term winter contracts into summer jobs to help address the critical labour shortage ahead of what’s predicted to be a booming season.
All hospitality and tourism employers have been invited to the event, as well as employers on MSD’s database.
Jenkins says since the comms went out to employers late last week, 25 of up to 40 spaces for the Queenstown recruitment night have already been filled.
They represent 369 jobs.
‘‘The need is great.
‘‘It’s much greater than just that — I’m very aware of that, but there’s not one silver bullet.
‘‘There are lots of little things that people could be doing, and we’d just like to help out.’’
She points to recruitment videos employers have been doing and posting on social media as alternatives to traditional — and expensive — website advertising, like Seek and Trade Me.
‘‘In Cromwell, for example, The Gate, for their Five Stags restaurant, did a video — it’s really good, they worked on it for a while.
‘‘It portrays the family culture you can get from working in hospitality, and they talk about different roles and career paths.
‘‘That’s given them way more applicants than their adverts on the usual websites,’’ Jenkins says.
Queenstown’s recruitment night’s being held at QT’s Bazaar restaurant on September 27, from 6pm till 8pm, with Wānaka’s event the following night at the Lake Wānaka Centre, also from 6pm till 8pm.
Willing workers only need to bring their CVs.
