Aidan Donoghue: VUWSA President on Concern more Kiwis will move overseas as graduate roles decline in the public sector

Students are worried the fight for jobs is getting even harder as public sector roles dry up. 

There were just over 485 graduate roles in November 2023, down to 192 last November. 

It comes after a significant push —led by the Government— for cost savings. 

Victoria University Students Association president Aidan Donoghue says finding work is a huge concern, and more are looking overseas for jobs. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Fewer graduate jobs in Wellington. This is in the public service.
So the numbers now just under two hundred jobs last
year compared to nearly five hundred in the year before that.
Aiden Donaghue, Victoria, University of Wellington Students Association, Vice President
with me this morning, Aid and good morning.

Speaker 2 (00:16):
Good morning.

Speaker 1 (00:17):
What jobs are we talking about?

Speaker 3 (00:18):
Graduate jobs are we're talking about jobs that are offered
either directly after graduating or early in careers.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
Your first three years sort of after leaving university.

Speaker 1 (00:29):
And what typically type of degree would you have done
to get one of these jobs.

Speaker 2 (00:34):
It's a bit of a mixed bunch. So you have
a commerce degrees, so your treasury, financial markets authority, you know,
other humanity degrees such as mb King of Order and
Ministry of Ethnic Communities, all sorts of degrees to get
into the public service.

Speaker 1 (00:49):
And these people are now because the public service doesn't
have the same number of jobs that they used to
perhaps under a labor government. Whatever they are going, we're
doing what.

Speaker 2 (01:00):
Go on ours, right, That's that's the simple fact about it.
There's there's you know, fuel work and there's more pay
to be asked for over there, so why not you know,
move over do we know?

Speaker 1 (01:11):
I guess the question is whether these jobs were actually
worth our time in the first place. Has anyone noticed
that they're missing?

Speaker 2 (01:19):
I'd say, well, there graduates themselves have noticed. But the
key thing about, you know, with public sector roles is
you go in as a bit of a generalist, so
even though you might start off in one place, you
find yourself all over the shop, you know, offering help
where it is needed.

Speaker 1 (01:34):
Really, is there anything stopping these graduates from becoming frontline
police officers or teachers?

Speaker 2 (01:41):
No, really, other than sort of what you train for.
But teaching is a whole nother kittle of fresh around
job availability after graduating as.

Speaker 1 (01:49):
Well as in there aren't jobs.

Speaker 2 (01:53):
Yeah, as in it's it's it's hard. You've got to do,
you know, unplaid placements to get in first, and then
you've got to do your time and again same sort
of draws to move just odds to be a police
or to be a couple or teacher.

Speaker 1 (02:06):
Are they aid? Given the fact that there are as
many graduate jobs in Wellington, are fewer people going into
the courses that would split them out the other end
to take those jobs.

Speaker 2 (02:16):
We're not seeing that directly so far. We've seen a
lot of people maybe go in with the mindset that
they will just move anyway if it isn't the option
to stay within Wellington.

Speaker 1 (02:26):
Appreciate your time this morning, Aiden. Thank you Aiden Donna,
who's views a vice president in Wellington. For more from
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