The manufacturing sector in Canterbury will have an opportunity to access an additional workforce with the announcement of a border exception class for advanced manufacturing specialists this morning.
"The announcement by Minister Nash is long overdue, the manufacturing sector is vital to our economy - it employs 10.7 percent of the workforce and contributes $4 billion per year to Canterbury’s gross domestic product," said Leeann Watson, Chief Executive of the Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce.
"Workforce supply issues have been wreaking havoc across the business community and we’re pleased that this announcement may relieve some of the immediate pressure before the staged reopening of the border kicks off.
"It’s important to be noted that there are over 20,000 manufacturing enterprises in New Zealand employing a quarter of a million people, so there is still a long way to go in addressing the severely constrained labour market that manufacturers are facing."
