Southland struggles to compete for workers

Southland struggles to compete for workers
Primary industries employ the most people in Southland. (Image: Getty)
Greg Hurrell
The Southland economy is facing labour market shortages regardless of whether the Tīwai Point aluminium smelter stays open or not beyond 2024, a recent study says.The Southland regional workforce plan says the region is struggling with several recruitment problems at the same time in major industry sectors, dealing with ageing workers and low educational achievement levels. The plan was prepared by the Southland Regional Skills Workforce Group. It said the Tīwai Point smelter provided around 1,000 full-time equivalent jobs and it indirectl...

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