HR news – third week March

Retirement and KiwiSaver

The KiwiSaver Sentiment Study, which looks at New Zealanders preparedness for retirement and their attitude toward the KiwiSaver scheme, of 513 working New Zealanders found that 44 per cent of survey respondents participate in the KiwiSaver scheme.

Yet there has been a rise in the number of people who feel that life in retirement would be less comfortable than it is today: 49 per cent feel this way, up from 42 per cent in 2007.

Other findings included;

• Kiwis are reasonably satisfied with KiwiSaver providers; nearly half (49%) said they were either satisfied or very satisfied with their current provider.
• Respondents indicated a strong loyalty to current schemes; very few (5%) anticipated a change in their KiwiSaver provider in twelve months time.
• The main concern Kiwis have about KiwiSaver is the lack of guarantee and specific concern about the future viability of the scheme. Other concerns centered on a lack of understanding of the scheme, poor returns and a preference for greater control over personal finances.
• Kiwis predict they will need between $2,000-$3,000 per month (including NZ Super and after tax) in retirement.
• The introduction of a 2% contribution level has proven popular; 29% indicated they either plan to make or already make contributions at the 2% level (the proportion of these as a result of default selection is not known), while 46% plan to do so at the 4% level.
• Just over half (55%) actively chose their own provider, while two in five (42%) either let the Inland Revenue Department or their employer make the decision on their behalf.

- Mercer

Recent Employment Relations Authority findings

A restaurant worker sacked after being discriminated against because of his sexual orientation has been awarded nearly $15,000. The Employment Relations Authority found that the man, whose name was not disclosed, was unfairly dismissed in July 2009.

>>>> More info here

And the Employment Relations Authority says a firefighter who didn’t tell his employer about his history of treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder was justifiably sacked.

>>>> More info here

Ensure safety of workers

The Department of Labour has urged employers and people in charge of workplaces to take an active and timely approach to their responsibilities under the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 (HSE Act) and to take all practicable steps to ensure the safety of their workers. This follows the sentencing of James Hardie New Zealand Limited on 5 March in the Auckland District Court.

A fine of $54,000 and reparation totalling $76,000 were imposed on James Hardie New Zealand Limited in the Auckland District Court following an accident where an employee died in 2009.

>>>> More info here

Jobs online report

Jobs Online measures changes in job vacancies advertised on the main internet job boards. For the three months to February 2010, this month’s Jobs Online report shows that:

The number of advertisements for skilled jobs increased by 4.6%, with total advertisements increasing by 6.6%.

Skilled vacancies in the North Island have increased strongly – particularly for Wellington (6.2%, compared with a 0.1% decrease in last month’s report).  However, the South Island had a slight decline in skilled vacancies: down 1.1% for Christchurch and down 1.5% for the rest of the South Island.

Most industries (hospitality; accounting, HR, legal and administration; sales, retail, marketing and advertising; and IT) experienced increases in job advertisements of between 2% – 12%.

Education, construction, and engineering vacancies fell by between 2% – 3%. However, the rate of fall appears to be slowing significantly – down from the 9% reported in last month’s report. This may signal a rebound for advertised vacancies in these areas in the near future. Healthcare and medical advertised vacancies experienced stronger decline.

Since June 2009, Jobs Online has highlighted a sustained recovery in advertised vacancies. While encouraging, the number of skilled job advertisements for February 2010 remains 9% lower than in February 2009 and 43% lower than March 2008, when the index was at its peak.

>>>> More info here