Simon Bridges: Auckland Business Chamber CEO on the joint programme with MSD to get people off the Jobseeker benefit

A new initiative to tackle the ballooning Jobseeker numbers. 

The Ministry of Social Development is pairing with the Chambers of Commerce to form ChamberWorks, in hopes of plugging a gap in the market. 

Data from December shows over 223 thousand people on the benefit, and the programme intends to connect employers with pre-screened, work-ready candidates.  

Auckland Business Chamber CEO Simon Bridges told Mike Hosking many unemployed people are fairly recently out of work, are highly skilled and experienced, and absolutely ready to get back into the workforce.   

He says the connections the Chambers of Commerce have puts them in a good position to be the glue between MSD and businesses seeking good employees.  

LISTEN ABOVE  

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Right to this new job's idea between MSD and the
various chambers of comments around the country. It's a new
contract that will and theory connect employers with pre screen
work ready candidates. Simon Bridges is the Aukland Business Chamber
of Boston. He's with a Simon morning to you.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Hey, morning, Mike.

Speaker 1 (00:14):
Why is this a thing? Why wasn't this done in
nineteen ninety three, nineteen eighty seven and twenty sixteen. This
doesn't seem like to I mean, we should have been
doing this years ago, shouldn't we.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
It's a great point I think there are The reason
is you look at unemployments five point four percent across
the country, Auckland look over six percent. You go back
to twenty one, twenty two, twenty three, it was more
like three percent. Right, So what that means, to use
the technical language, is you've got a lot of people
now who aren't strongly dislocated from the workforce, right, they're

(00:42):
relatively recently out of work, and they're different than you know.
Pet's what Shane Jones had called his nests on the couch.
They highly experienced, they've got skills, they've got tertiary color
qualifications in other words, they're absolutely ready to get back
into the workforce. And then you add to that, and
I suppose there's the point where you make a good
point that you know could have thought of this some

(01:03):
time ago. What if chambers of commerce got probably an
unrivaled way around the country. It's connection with employers and
particularly small and medium businesses. So we've got a good
position to be the blue here right between the biggest
recruitment agency in the country with the most job ready
candidates MSD and employers who still tell me, look, it's

(01:24):
not where it was a couple of years ago, remember
when no one could get any employee because the taps
had been turned off. But they still tell me a
day and day out that recruitment getting good employee as
one of the biggest issues.

Speaker 1 (01:35):
Would not agree. I was in a business this week
that said exactly that. Now here's my next question based
on that. How many of the unemployed people in this
country do you think are ready, are keen, and are
willing and capable versus how many are unemployed who really
just are a bit useless.

Speaker 2 (01:50):
Well, of course, you know, the politically correct answerould be saying, oh, well, look,
I'd like to think Mike, that they're all absolutely ready
and raring to go. You and I both know in
the real world that that's not the real answer, But
I think what is true at five point four percent? Ever,
say in Auckland it's six percent six point I think
three or four percent. Also, you've definitely got two or
three percent there that actually the numbers tell us that

(02:14):
been in work for a long time. They haven't been
out long. They've got skills, they've got tertiary qualifications. And
by the way, this is across the gamut. We're talking hospo,
we're talking tourism, we're talking construction. It ai that you're
out there and they want to get back. And we
took one at the Chamber of Commerce literally this week
with this new program. She seems outstanding, and you know,

(02:38):
I'm pretty excited about it. I think as much of anything,
this is about changing perceptions, right, So that to your question, actually,
then poor out there says it doesn't think you know
MSD No, No, that's about kind of other people that
maybe aren't. We're ready. No, there's definitely tens and tens
of thousands that are and that you should give a go.

Speaker 1 (02:58):
Good stuff might go well, Simon Bridges Auckland Chamber CEO.
For more from the mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to
news Talks at B from six am weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio