Case Studies By Service Area
Evaluation and Research
Labour and Skills Research
“Working on it”: addressing issues in the labour market.
The scope
Throughout the country’s strong economic performance during the past decade, New Zealand has been experiencing significant skill and labour shortages.
In response, government and industry associations have sought research-based information, advice and strategies to help address these shortages and other labour market issues.
Our Involvement
In 2004 MartinJenkins was chosen to undertake a major study of labour and skill shortages in the meat, dairy, wine, horticulture and seafood processing sectors. The purpose of the study was to provide the baseline information and knowledge necessary for the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to take a more proactive role in advising the government on labour and skill issues across the primary sectors. This study involved statistical analysis, backed up by our team visiting processing plants up and down the country.
The Outcome
The study provided a rich source of new information to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. It identified areas for focus in future work, and provided a sound basis for the Ministry’s advice to Government on labour and skill issues.
The MartinJenkins Difference
MartinJenkins has an in-depth understanding of labour markets and the way they operate. Our interdisciplinary approach – which encompasses related areas such as ACC, employment law, and Departmental requirements – also gave our research an added dimension. We demonstrated our ability to carry out comprehensive and pragmatic field research to support our industry and statistical analysis within a robust analytical framework.
