More than 20 employers sign for jobs expo

Paul Casson
Paul Casson
Despite the economy hitting tougher times, more than 20 employers have signed for a job opportunities expo for redundant Fisher and Paykel workers.

The company is progressively shedding more than 400 staff from its manufacturing plant near Mosgiel, which will close at the end of next month.

The expo, being held at Hislop Hall, Taieri College, Mosgiel, next Saturday, is the second to be organised by Work and Income and the company.

More than 30 employers attended the first expo.

There was still "good support" from employers for this expo, and reasonably good prospects for workers, Work and Income regional labour market manager Paul Casson said this week.

"The employment market has softened in recent months, but there are still [job] opportunities out there."

Among the employers planning to attend this time were Burger Wisconsin, a North Island chain which was looking at securing franchisees in the South, and cleaning company Crest.

Venture Southland would attend again to talk about job opportunities in that province.

As well as employers, about 10 stall-holders, including education providers and recruitment agencies, would be present, he said.

While the expo was primarily targeted at Fisher and Paykel staff, there was nothing to stop members of the public from attending, Mr Casson said.

Cadbury was also laying off staff at its Dunedin factory, and he said an invitation had been issued for its workers to attend.

The expo would be a time for job-seekers "to do a stocktake", Mr Casson said.

"Individuals need to do a stocktake. Will they need to relocate to find another job, or will they need to upskill. Could they possibly own their own business? . . . What the expo is doing is putting information and opportunities in front of people. We're offering a helping hand, but we're only one avenue."

More than 150 staff had already left Fisher and Paykel, while about 220 would finish up by early April, the company's vice-president of investor relations, Paul Brockett, said this week.

Another 30-40 maintenance staff would be kept on for several weeks to dismantle and pack up the factory production lines.

Production lines for dish-drawer dishwashers, the main product manufactured at Mosgiel, would be kept in storage until a decision was made about where they would go, Mr Brockett said.

The wall oven, cook-top and free-standing stove production lines would be freighted to other company factories in Mexico or Italy.

Once the Mosgiel factory closes, Fisher and Paykel will have only about 130 staff in Dunedin.

About 90 Mosgiel engineering staff will relocate to another site in the city, and about 40 staff will be employed at a new national call centre.

 

Add a Comment

 

Advertisement