Many Dunedin student summer job seekers may be forced out of the city to find work.
A tightening economy and 12-month flat leases could see many students heading away if more job offers were not forthcoming, Student Job Search (SJS) summer marketing assistant Kitty August said.
‘‘Leases so often are 12-month, so students want to stay in Dunedin. But if they can't get work here, they will head off,'' Miss August said.
The Dunedin SJS office had 320 vacancies on its books this week. But this year, more than 2500 students had actively sought work through SJS.
SJS was in the middle of its three busiest weeks of the year, Miss August said. "Nationally, we have filled 5000 vacancies in the past month.''
Summer work was increasingly important. ‘‘If you are only getting $150 a week [student loan allowance] it is getting harder and harder to survive. So it is very important to also get some summer savings.''
SJS charges no fees to list vacancies and find student employees.