| 89 Transport industry needs fresh talent Graeme Slack, stock driver with more than 40 years of service. Driver Cadet Jake Ussher. Hugh de Lacy The transport industry needs to keep selling itself as an attractive career, to ensure it gets its fair share of a national labour pool being drained by other industries as New Zealand’s vigorous economy struggles with historically low unemployment. That’s the view of Dave Duffy, manager and partowner of the Northern Southland company Andrews Transport, part of the H.W. Richardson group. “We ourselves are actually not too bad for staff at the moment but we’re only one phone-call away from someone deciding to move on,” Dave says. “And it’s not just the trucking industry, but every industry: there just aren’t the people out there. “Everybody says there must be people just sitting on their arses, but the fact is there are so many job opportunities out there that they’re sucking up all the available workers.” The figures bear out Dave’s analysis. New Zealand’s unemployment rate was over 5% in mid-2020, itself a low level by historical and international standards, but for the past year it’s barely been above 3% and is currently at 3.3%. The labour under-utilisation rate, a broader measure of spare labour capacity, rose to 9.4% from 9.1% RURAL SERVICES » Andrews Transport Ltd • to page 90 Proudly supporting Andrews Transport rews Transpo Phone Darren 0274 895 645 email kiwigraham@xtra.co.nz email kiwigraham@xtra.co.nz • FOR ALL COMMERICAL & AGRICULTURAL TYRES • CAR & 4WD TYRES • CAR & 4WD WHEEL ALIGNMENTS • SUPPLIERS OF ALL BRANDS FOR ALL BUDGETS Proud suppliers to Andrews Transport (03) 208 8110 - 24 hour on call service 25 Ashton Street, Gore CREATING VALUE THROUGH AGRIBUSINESS INVESTMENT Establishing success with our values at the forefront of decision making, focusing on a sustainable future. Proudly supporting Andrews Transport Ltd. Located across three offices within New Zealand: Christchurch • Te Awamutu • Lumsden www.farmright.co.nz office@farmright.co.nz
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