Workforce Planning in

New Zealand

MGMT 308
Sept 30 – Oct 14 2008
 Sanna Malinen

sanna.malinen@canterbury.ac.nz
Room 208 @ Psychology
Ext 3620 (/4125)
 Outline

 Our overall theme = HR planning

 Day 1
 Issues influencing workforce planning in NZ: the
labour market

 Janine Lipsys (HR Manager) from Holcim (NZ) Ltd

 Day 2
 HRIMS – support for HRP?

 The legal context of planning in NZ

 Day 3 – Test

• Essay style questions (around 1 page each) –

six questions, you choose three.
 You should have around half an hour per question

• Based on lecture material and chapters 3 and 8

of your text book (note that this test includes
questions on performance management)
HRP –theory already covered with Yehuda

”HRP is like a navigating ship...it decides on

a course and speeds towards destinations,
with the constant need to take further
readings and make necessary adjustments
in order to reach that destination”
(Nankervis et al., 2008)
 The Process:

1. Context analysis

2. HR forecasting

3. Gap analysis

4. Policies and practices

Remember this from last year?
 Arguments on labour shortages

 The common view:

Due to reduced fertility rates and the ageing

population, we will (if not already have) a labour
shortage

 Not enough people to ensure strengthening

economy.
 Arguments on labour shortages
 The alternative view:

Perhaps our challenges should be focused on the

employment relationship rather than on the
shortfall of employees due to demographic
changes.

“…the problem is not a workforce issue, but a

workplace issue…”
 Arguments on labour shortages

 What do you think?

 Let’s look at some data

 Labour market in NZ

 Overall, our labour market is tight

• Expected to ease only slightly

 The contributing factors:

1. Employment growth

3. Low unemployment

5. High labour force participation

 1. Employment Growth

 Mid last year – 1.5% increase

• Part-time employment

Why?

• Staff hard to find vs. organisations’ reluctance to make

long-term commitments?

 Demographic changes

• European vs. Maori & ‘other’

 2. High Labour Force Participation &
3. Low unemployment

 Labour force participation at record high (68.8%)

• Driven by traditionally underrepresented groups in the

labour market

 Unemployment at 3.6%

 Long-term unemployment continues to decline

 Quality vs. quantity?

 Labour shortage vs. skill shortage

 What areas are most affected in NZ?

1.
2.
3.
4.

 Overall, 54% fill rate

 Focus on retention!
 The key word? Retention!

 Why do people leave

1. Compensation & benefits

2. Career development
3. New experience
4. Job security
5. Career change
6. Poor management
7. Boredom
8. Conflict with values
 Women in employment
 Obvious?
 NZ context
 Raised expectations. Both family and career expected

Changes in:

1. The family
2. Education
3. Self-perception
4. Technology
5. The economy

 But, women still earn 86.40c (NZ) for every dollar a

man makes!
 Older employees in NZ

 More older people in work than ever before - and

still increasing

• Growth of 5.9% in 2007 (vs. 1.9% total)

• NZ near top in participation
• Very low unemployment
• Participation at 40.7% (49.3% men, 33% women)

• Why?
 Older employees

 Challenges for HRM –

• Four(-five) generations of workers

1. Swing generation

1. Silent generation

1. Baby-boomers

1. Generation X

1. Generation Y
 Employees with disabilities

 In the US, two-thirds of persons with disabilities

between the age of 16-64 are unemployed.

 Employers’ lack of knowledge.

 Supportive discouragement

 NZ context: Human Rights Act, 1993

 Reasonable adjustment

 Come back to this next week

 HR responses?

 Discussion &/or independent research:

• Women

• Older employees

• People with disabilities

• Other groups?
 Janine Lipsys

HR Manager – Holcim (NZ) Ltd