Rotorua Business Chamber is launching the most intensive programme they've ever undertaken in the employment space to help local employers find staff.

‘Bridges To Work' is being jointly funded by BayTrust, Rotorua Trust and the Ministry of Social Development to help local employers better articulate who and what they're looking for, and what job opportunities are available for school leavers and beneficiaries.

Rotorua Business Chamber CEO Bryce Heard says national unemployment figures might look low on paper but in Rotorua there's not a shortage of people to employ – rather a shortage of people who are ready for employment.

According to latest figures from MSD, there are about 5000 people currently on Job Seeker benefits in Rotorua which represents over 10 per cent of the working age population. That's far in excess of the 3.4 per cent national unemployment rate.

Heard says there are many groups doing 'great work” with local unemployed people, providing wrap-around services to help encourage, support, develop them and grow their skills.

'That's all very good and very necessary. But it's not hitting the key points that employers want hit.

'What the employers want is someone who will come to work with good aptitude and attitude and without an entitlement mentality. They don't necessarily have to be fully-educated or trained; employers are happy to do their own training. At the moment, the employers' perspective is missing from the table.”

Two part-time Advocates were appointed in late 2021 and a series of mini expos and other events are now being planned to help employers connect directly with school leavers and beneficiaries, allowing them to come into the workplace, test the waters and work their way into a job.

A group of employers (dubbed ‘the gathering of the willing') has also been formed to have their say.

'They're coming up with some really constructive ideas and there's individual solutions for individual employers. So that's why we're calling it Bridges to Work. Because what works for one employer doesn't necessarily work for another.”

Each of the funding agencies has contributed $37,500 to the project, with additional funding provided by the Ministry of Education for events aimed specifically at school leavers.

BayTrust CEO Alastair Rhodes says the money will be used to create opportunities for job seekers to find out more about Rotorua industries, as well as pay staff wages to facilitate the programme.

'The return on investment will be for Rotorua employers themselves. We need to create opportunities for all people who are looking for a job to be able to get a job.

'Sometimes we all know what the issues are in terms of recruitment and selection of staff but we always do the same things. Rotorua Business Chamber is trying to create a new model here focusing on employers so that we can help industry get new staff and hopefully keep them.”