Despite job seeker numbers climbing in the Eastern Bay, things are looking up in Opotiki, with people entering into training and plenty of jobs being advertised.

Opotiki District Council workforce development co-ordinator Barbara Mac-Lennan told councillors this week that following a long period of gradual increase, there had been a rapid rise in people seeking Jobseeker Support in the region.

The number of Eastern Bay residents receiving support has increased 31 per cent over the past year to total 4371.

Much of the increase occurred at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic response, however, numbers have risen further in recent months with the spring and summer period traditionally seeing the highest level of Work Ready Support in the Eastern Bay.

"Compared to the rest of the Bay of Plenty, the Eastern Bay of Plenty is doing well because of our main workforce being in primary and manufacturing occupations," says MacLennan.

"However, recessions affect young people more and we have seen big increases in young people going on the benefit."

At the end of September, there were 246 people between the ages of 19 and 29 receiving Job Seeker Work Ready support in Opotiki.

There were 1221 in the wider Eastern Bay.

While the numbers are negatively trending, MacLennan says work being done to improve the situation is starting to pay off.

The workforce team collects information about local vacancies to share with job seekers and MacLennan says for the week ending October 30, there were 30 vacancies being advertised across a wide range of industries, from senior management to entry level.

The team is also facilitating training for job seekers and worked with New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers to supply a day's free training for summer orchard work.

The Mayors Taskforce for Jobs Community Recovery Project has enabled the team to support five young people to gain their wheels, tracks and rollers certification and 12 to gain their traffic controller certification.

First aid and chainsaw training are next on the list.

Ten people are also undertaking heavy machinery training on the harbour construction site and Whakatohea Mussels is well under way with its planning to recruit and train people to manage and operate the new processing facility.

Also thanks to the funding, the team is able to provide small subsidies and support to local business that are taking on young people as employees and is working through the details for seven new successful job applicants.

While things are looking hopeful, there are still barriers to obtaining paid employment, one of those being the only place people can sit their restricted and full driver's licences in the Eastern Bay is in Whakatane.

This means many people in isolated areas must travel several hours to sit the test as well as find a registered and warranted car in which to sit the test.

There is also a 40-day waiting period for a test.

The ability to drive is a prerequisite for the most jobs and because there is so little public transport in Opotiki, a person must hold a licence in order to legally travel to work.

For more than 70 per cent of young people, a driving offence is their first interaction with the criminal justice system.

The council has been attempting to break down this barrier by facilitating a community driver mentoring programme with Eastbay REAP, Bay of Plenty Regional Council, the Eastern Bay Road Safety Committee, and Toi-EDA. More than 170 people have achieved their restricted licence through this programme.

However, MacLennan says the only way this barrier could truly be overcome was by petitioning the New Zealand Transport Authority for a better level of service, something the council and Toi-EDA had been doing for some time.

The council plans to support people through the process to obtain their full driver's licence.