SkyCity offers vouchers, mocktail competitions, spin at roulette in its search for 500 staff – Stuff

Supplied

SkyCity GM talent Rebecca Grover says the employment market is competitive.

Hospitality company SkyCity Entertainment is offering spot competitions, blindfold taste tests of food from its award-winning chefs, mocktail making, vouchers, and a spin at roulette as it showcases the hundreds of jobs on offer across its business in the face of a nationwide labour shortage.

The company, which operates Aucklands landmark SkyCity casino and tower, is hosting its first company-wide recruitment open day on site on Friday with on-the-spot job interviews.

Its trying to fill 499 vacancies across the group, more than double the usual 200 vacancies, with 337 job openings in Auckland alone.

Businesses across most industries are facing labour shortages after the normal movement of workers across the border was disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

READ MORE:* Short staffing in Queenstown is costing millions as visitors leave with money unspent, and the rest of the country could face similar problems over summer * Employers struggling to fill jobs but are sector's poor pay and conditions to blame?* More than half of 2600 tourism jobs advertised attracted fewer than five applicants for each position as businesses struggle for staff

Thats pushed unemployment to a record low 3.2% and is holding back activity as companies reduce their hours and services to cope.

Its a pretty competitive field out there, especially for frontline staff, said SkyCitys general manager of talent Rebecca Grover.

We've had to make that decision not to open a few sites and to change the working hours of our restaurants until we know that we can fully service them in a way that is going to meet the expectations of our customers, but also of our people we need to make sure that we protect them so that we don't lose them through the back door.

STUFF

Restaurants, bars and cafes are helping each other out as the staffing shortage continues to upset rostas. Even friends and family are helping out, says Stuff senior feature writer Bess Manson who lent a hand herself.

SkyCity has operations in Auckland, Hamilton, Queenstown, and Adelaide in Australia.

The company shrank its workforce earlier in the pandemic as business dried up. As of July, it employed 3900 people, including 2072 in Auckland and 1300 in Adelaide.

It has increased its pay rates to remain competitive, and salaries for the open day roles across gaming, hotels, and food and beverage, range from $46,800 to $59,280.

In a new initiative, all staff who work for the company for 12 months will receive the equivalent of the living wage, and it is looking to introduce more personalised flexible work options.

In today's market, we've got to make it as easy for people to work and live and strike that balance, she said.

As well as increasing pay, SkyCity is trying to make jobs more enriching and is investing in internal careers consultants and building a qualifications framework to support staff progression within the company, Grover said.

SkyCity already offers staff benefits such as $2.50 meals and discounts for its venues and services, and it is now looking at how it can leverage its buying power with suppliers to directly benefit staff, she said.

The companys operations cover about 16 different industries and while some parts of the workforce will always be transient, it is seeing an improvement in retention as a result of its efforts, she said.

Turnover in July averaged 3.3%, and the company has had 22.9% turnover since January.

That compares with average turnover of 38.6% for staff in the accommodation and food services industry in the first six months of 2020 cited in a Lawson Williams recruitment survey.

Here is the original post:

SkyCity offers vouchers, mocktail competitions, spin at roulette in its search for 500 staff - Stuff