Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Kiwi worker priorities have shifted significantly
There continues to be a lot of market disruption and this will continue while Auckland remains in lockdown and beyond, according to Katherine Swan, Randstad Country Director.
Swan added that many companies have had to make difficult decisions to manage resources, particularly those in tourism and hospitality.
“It’s therefore not surprising, that job security is one of the most important employee drivers in Randstad’s latest ‘Impact of COVID-19’ report.”
Swan’s comments come off the back of Randstad’s research conducted following the first lockdown, based on interviews with 1000 workers and 500 employers to assess workplace sentiment across New Zealand.
The Randstad report, “The impact of COVID-19 on workers and organisations”, found that uncertainty and anxiety continue to grow, with 33% of workers now concerned that COVID-19 will have a negative impact on their job security.
It also found 61% of employers have introduced measures to protect workers from unemployment and 52% of workers feel their employer has taken care of their emotional wellbeing during the pandemic.
However, it also found that New Zealand workers are notably less concerned about the impact of COVID-19 on their job security than their counterparts in Australia.
Moreover, approximately 36% of employers believe they will have to make significant workforce changes (e.g. redundancies, redeployment, earlier retirement, restructuring or outside resourcing). And almost two-thirds (64%) of employers, plan to save costs by freezing hiring and replacement.
Swan added that since the COVID-19 pandemic, Kiwi worker priorities have shifted significantly.
“Today, employees want reassurance to know that their job is safe and that their employer will weather the current economic storm.”