The economy is apparently picking up. But according to Recruitment and Consulting Services Association, there are "pitfalls":
The strong level of economic confidence New Zealand is currently experiencing is likely to continue for several more years, but there are significant potential pitfalls of which employers and employees need to be aware.
For employers, the risk comes in the form of a buoyant economy giving workers the confidence to look for change.
Just two years ago, most New Zealand workers were more concerned about the financial stability of their employer than how much they were being paid. With the passing of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), personal remuneration is now a main driver again.
For workers who have been "ridden" hard by their employer during and since the GFC, the prospect of a fresh start somewhere else is likely to be high, particularly if it comes with more pay.
Yes, workers might demand higher wages and better work-life balance, and switch jobs to get it. And the RCSA thinks this is a Bad Thing. Why? They don't say, but the reason is obvious: because it implicitly leads to lower profits for the top 1%. Their solution, of course, is to bring in foreign workers to reduce bargaining power.
Our business community really are scum, aren't they?
But consider this: if workers are not allowed to benefit from economic growth, then they have no reason to support it. Its just a distant, abstract statistic - like champagne sales, or the Finance Minister's penis size. The only growth worth supporting is growth that delivers concrete benefits to ordinary people. And that's exactly the sort that the business community doesn't want.
