Student Job Search has confirmed it will close its six university campus-based centres as part of a move to restructure its job recruitment operations online.
Student Job Search (SJS) chief executive Phil Kennedy said the job centre at the University of Otago would be closed alongside the five other regional SJS offices on September 30.
A review of SJS operations had concluded the existing service did not meet the needs of students, as more and more of them went online to find jobs, he said.
SJS wanted to redirect its $3.5 million of government funding towards providing more job information and recruitment opportunities for students through a Wellington-based call centre and internet service, Mr Kennedy said.
Nine regional-based job centre roles would be "disestablished" as part of the closures, he said.
It is understood the Dunedin job centre has one permanent employee - Otago-Southland regional service delivery leader Suzanne Te Au, who could not be contacted yesterday.
Mr Kennedy said employment agreements for four other staff on fixed-term contracts at the Dunedin office would finish on September 30.
Eight positions would be established as part of the restructuring of SJS, with two "regional sales-based roles" to be set up in Auckland and Christchurch. Six jobs will be set up in Wellington, Mr Kennedy said.
Although Otago University has one of the largest student rolls in the country, most of its students came from outside Dunedin, he said.
"The majority of interest from Dunedin-based students using our service is for full-time summer work," Mr Kennedy said.
Otago University Students' Association president Logan Edgar said the SJS campus office in Dunedin was one of the "most active in the country".
He was pragmatic about the SJS decision to close the University of Otago office and shift its Dunedin operations to a "roaming" sales recruitment employee, based in Christchurch.
"I guess it will be 'wait and see' as to whether [the closure] has an impact on [Otago] students looking for jobs.
"Moving online seems to be the way everything is going these days.
"It should be positive and more effective for students," Mr Edgar said.
