New Zealand’s industrial anger intensifies as border closures intensify labor shortages Reuters

Author: Pravin Menon

Wellington (Reuters)-New Zealand’s closed border helps keep COVID-19 out of Pacific countries, but the severe shortage of immigrant labor is triggering protests between businesses and workers that are fighting the staffing crisis.

On Tuesday, about 2,000 restaurants stopped their services and turned off their lights, and other shutdowns were planned as part of the two-month event to draw the government’s attention to the serious shortage of skilled labor.

After New Zealand closed its borders in March last year in response to the raging coronavirus pandemic, labor shortages. These measures will help curb COVID-19 locally, and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has vowed to maintain a globally acclaimed elimination strategy.

However, although the economy without the new coronavirus has rebounded faster than expected, its vaccination rate is far lower than its developed counterparts, and immigration has also hit a record low, resulting in a severe labor shortage in this country that relies on low-skilled immigrant workers.

The New Zealand Restaurant Association, the industry organization that organized the protests, said in a statement: “Before COVID-19 hit and closed our borders, more than 25% of our workforce held international work visas.”

The association said: “The loss of them is enough to have such a big impact that it may affect the business in a catastrophic way.”

Media reports stated that some restaurants in Auckland and other major cities were temporarily closed due to lack of staff or just to give exhausted employees a break.

To the frustration of companies, the government announced in May that it would readjust its immigration policy, which will further reduce the number of low-skilled immigrants when the border finally reopens, and hopes to attract more highly-skilled immigrants and wealthy investors.

“If the government does not reverse this policy, more restaurants will be closed, which is sad, and it may be that new and great restaurants will not be able to open because innovators there will find it difficult to start hiring,” National President New Zealand Restaurant Association Mike Egan told local media 1NEWS.

A business survey this week pointed out that hiring restrictions in multiple industries are increasing, and companies report that they find it has become more difficult to hire skilled labor in the past.

Basic service workers are also uneasy. About 30,000 nurses will hold a series of strikes later this year to fight for better wages and working conditions because they complain about burnout.

David Wait, the chief advocate of the New Zealand Nurses Organization, said in a statement: “We are facing a national health crisis in terms of security staffing, recruitment and retention; the working conditions faced by our members can no longer be tolerated. That’s why our problem is so important.” Statement.