New Zealand’s borders have been closed for close to two years, and there’s still no relief in sight for businesses struggling with staff shortages as a result. 

According to experts, the economy is recovering. But it may not feel this way for many employers.

Even if their customers do return as restrictions ease, how will businesses meet the demands when they don’t have the right talent on board?

It all feels a bit grim. 

But there are practical strategies you can implement to help address your staffing challenges.
In this article, we’ll look ahead to see what’s in store for employers in the coming months and offer practical strategies to help manage employee shortages.

How To Deal With Staffing Challenges And Shortages

Staffing Challenges – What’s The Forecast For NZ Businesses?

Several key industries in New Zealand have been hamstrung by skill shortages in the last few years. From aged care and construction to hospitality, finance and IT, organisations are reporting a serious lack of skilled workers.

As the economy starts to bounce back, many organisations are heading into growth periods but remain unable to respond appropriately due to a lack of talent.

The rest of the world is beginning to open up, and here in NZ, the increasing vaccination rates paint a promising picture for 2022.

But even if border restrictions ease, we are clearly headed for a booming jobs market. There are more vacancies than job seekers, which means businesses need to adjust the ways they attract, train, and retain talent in the years ahead.

How To Overcome Staffing Shortages
There are a number of things you can do to overcome the challenges of staffing shortages:

Work on retaining your top talent
It may be tempting to focus on recruitment, but don’t neglect the great talent you already have on your team. In the current climate, skilled professionals are in high demand. Some competitors may actively pursue your best employees.

While salary is one consideration, there are many other ways to make your workplace more attractive. That could be through embracing flexible work models or creating a more desirable office environment.

Training and development is another consideration. Are you providing opportunities for your staff to upskill and grow within your organisation? 

Not every employer can offer the most competitive salary or benefits package, but that doesn’t have to take them out of the running. A rewarding, positive culture, interesting work, or a great work-life balance can be just as attractive as a higher financial incentive.

Rethink your recruitment strategy
If you’re struggling to find candidates that match very specific requirements, consider being more flexible when recruiting talent.

Remember that many skills can be taught, but attitude and culture fit can’t. It might be worth taking a second look at candidates that match your culture – even if they don’t have the exact qualifications or experience you’re looking for.

We’re not suggesting you settle for an unsuitable candidate. However, if you must choose between holding out for the perfect individual (and potentially damaging your business in the process) or accepting someone who is a near match that fits well with your culture, it’s worth considering.

Tailor your benefits
Since it is a job-seekers market, you need to know what your best candidates are looking for. Do they want a specific title? Are they after a flexible role? What kind of benefits are most attractive for them?

The more you understand the expectations of your candidates, the more competitive your organisation will become.

Overhaul your hiring process
When it comes to recruitment, the hiring process is just as important as the rewards on offer. Top talent may have multiple job opportunities available, so naturally, they’ll be drawn to businesses that make the hiring process simple and effective.

Look at whether you can reduce delays, improve communication, offer remote interviewing, or further streamline your recruitment, interview, and onboarding process to become more attractive to great candidates.

Bring in the big guns
Now is an excellent time to engage a recruitment company, rather than handling the job in house. Especially if in-house actually means working in your own house (rather than your office) due to Covid restrictions!

Using a recruitment company means you gain access to a top pool of talent and get to promote a professional front. No need to try and disguise the kids yelling in the background of calls, and total focus on the job at hand.

So, here at LD Recruit, we want to help make hiring easy for you in these times of staffing challenges! Reach out to us today to chat about what you need and we’ll let you know how we can help.