At the end of 2021, we reached out to our business community with a short survey to better understand their talent and skills needs to ensure we are effectively planning for and supporting the needs of our region now and into the future.

"Overall the response rate was really good and provided invaluable insights that help solidify our focus and actions to support the regional business community in the future," says Talent and Skills Manager Sara Towers.

Key takeaways

• 44% of businesses said they were currently having difficulty filling roles
• 36% of businesses said that recruiting for these roles had been ongoing for six months or more
• Main concerns include the ability to run to full capacity, not being able to grow the business and the loss of productivity

What now? From here the team at CEDA will align these actions to existing work we have underway, such as the regional Manawatū Talent and Skills Strategy and Framework and Action Plan, and two Sector Profiles and Plans; Infrastructure and Construction and Food and Fibre.

A big thank you to all the businesses who completed this survey. CEDA will keep the business community up to date on these actions through our communication channels.

This survey was undertaken to gain data and insights from our business community in relation to talent and skills, and has been co-designed by CEDA, Feilding & District Promotion, Manawatū Business Chamber and Welcoming Communities.

This survey is part of the Talent and Skills Strategy implementation to help us monitor and identity barriers and opportunities. It is designed to identify the opportunities and barriers so we can work together collectively for the success of our region.