Employers reveal their priorities

The group representing employers in the South has released its manifesto declaring what businesses in Otago and Southland want from the parties contesting next month’s election.

The Otago Southland Employers Association manifesto was released over the weekend and included results from the recent Deloitte-Chapman Tripp-Business NZ election survey.

The main focuses for businesses in the South are on what the Covid-19 economic recovery plan will be, how government debt would be paid back, how employment could be stabilised and when the border might open.

Just 18.9% of respondents in the survey thought the Government had a co-ordinated plan after Covid-19 of raising the country’s economic performance.

"Businesses believe economic recovery or transformation is best led by business," association chief executive Virginia Nicholls said.

More than half of the businesses surveyed were concerned with government debt potentially rising from 19% to 53.6% of GDP by 2023, while a third said they were comfortable with it.

Virginia Nicholls

The wage subsidy was considered the best of the Government’s Covid initiatives, followed by the small business cashflow scheme.

With the aluminium smelter at Tiwai Point set to close next year, the OSEA election manifesto is warning the area needs more time to transition from the 2600 direct and indirect jobs that could be lost.

"It makes sense to retain the smelter at Tiwai Point for a longer period of time to give Southlanders time to develop alternative employment options," Mrs Nicholls said.

The film industry was also important for employment.

"We are ideally situated for more film studios to have a base in our region.

"This will also grow the number of people trained and employed within this industry."

Mrs Nicholls said more infrastructure was needed to accommodate the industry and the association had given its backing to "two shovel-ready projects for film studios in Dunedin and Queenstown".

The employers association also wants to see a plan for the borders to be reopened safely between Covid-free and low-risk countries.

There is a big demand for international students to be able to return and for skilled and unskilled workers to be able to enter the country to support the horticulture and dairy sectors.

Lack of access to more skilled workers had raised the issue of improving training here, the association’s manifesto said.

"The business community has mixed feelings on whether Government’s reform of vocational education will result in better skills pipelines for business," it said.

"Border closure because of Covid-19 means it’s not possible to bring in talent from overseas for now and has highlighted the importance of training more New Zealanders in the skills most needed by business."

According to the election survey, the skills that should be prioritised related to trades and applied training.

The association says it wants the 90-day trial for all businesses brought back, as more than half of the respondents in the survey reported terminating an "unsatisfactory employee’s employment".

It also said businesses did not want another increase in the minimum wage next year.

jacob.mcsweeny@odt.co.nz