Many in the rural contracting sector have had a real job finding the right kind of skilled, local people to fill vacancies in the industry writes Steve Levet, president of Rural Contractors New Zealand. Recent debate about unemployed New Zealanders and their keenness – or lack of it – to gain work was sparked after Prime Minister John Key commented how hard it is to get beneficiaries into seasonal work.
The PM was defending the current levels of immigration, and this, of course, led to the usual political shenanigans – opposition politicians of all stripes bagging this claim to promote their own agendas, whether on immigration or unemployment. However, I assure you that many in the rural contracting sector have had a tough job – pun intended – finding the right kind of skilled local people to fill vacancies in our industry.