The Beehive, Wellington, tuesday 5 April 2016 -The Canterbury Skills and Employment Hub which matches job seekers with employers will stay open until June 2018 to continue helping employers in the region meet their skills needs says Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce and Social Development Minister Anne Tolley.
The Hub was set up in November 2012 to help with the Christchurch rebuild and Canterbury’s wider economic recovery. It was due to shut in June 2016.
“The Canterbury rebuild is now at peak activity and is set to last for the next two years according to forecasts by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment,” says Mr Joyce.
“Given those forecasts, the Government has decided to extend the Hub’s operations until June 2018, after which work in the construction sector is expected to gradually drop back to pre-earthquake levels.”
“The Hub is continuing to reduce long-term welfare dependence, while helping employers find suitable staff,” Mrs Tolley says.
“Since September 2013, the Hub placed 421 people into employment including 289 Work and Income clients and 132 other job seekers. This is in addition to 1,934 job placements in the region by Work and Income over the same time period.”
When the Hub closes in June 2018, employers in Christchurch who are looking for staff will switch over to the new Labour Market Test system currently being rolled out by the Ministry of Social Development and Immigration New Zealand across the country.
