Employers are being challenged to take on 500 unemployed young people in the next 50 days to give young New Zealanders a break into their first jobs.
Ten of the country's top chief executives have signed an open letter to all Kiwi businesses urging them to back what they're calling the "50/500" campaign.
"As businesses, we have the power to give young people a life-changing opportunity. We can open the door and give them a chance to start their career," the letter says.
The letter is signed by the chief executives of Vodafone, Foodstuffs, Vector, DB Breweries, NZME, Jucy Rentals, Real Journeys, Te Papa, Waste Management and Yellow.
Youth unemployment has come down from a 2009-10 peak of almost 10% not in employment, education or training ("NEET"), and not caring for children, to 7.8% at last count in June. But that is still worse than a pre-recession low of 6.4% in June 2008.
In actual numbers, 51,800 young people aged 15 to 24 are still Neet and not caring for children, with many more counted as "underemployed" because they are in part-time jobs and still seeking fulltime work.
Yet at the same time the latest NZ Institute of Economic Research survey this month found a net 41% of employers said it was difficult to get skilled labour and a net 14% were struggling to hire unskilled labour.
The campaign aims to bridge that gap by connecting unemployed young people to an education-based website started by Auckland-based Joy Ice Cream in August which allows employers to specify which basic training modules they want potential employees to complete.
The modules take only an hour or a few hours to complete but cover generic work skills such as customer service, financial literacy, health and safety, teamwork and interpersonal communication.
Once they have completed the courses, people can apply for jobs listed on the website and supply electronic summaries of what they have learnt on the courses as well as their CV and a written, audio or video pitch to employers.
Jobs have been listed so far by 19 companies on the Joy Business Academy website, and by three others on a Youthfull website created in collaboration with Auckland Council's Youth Connections scheme. Most are generic jobs, such as "day shift" and "night shift" jobs in any region listed by Z Energy, but some are specific job vacancies in specified places.
Joy Ice Cream's business model is based on creating jobs for young people by giving them franchises to sell ice cream in street stalls, but its "chief enabler" Ken Brophy said the 50/500 campaign was aimed at creating traditional employment as well as new enterprises.
"Five hundred people into work pre-Christmas would be a pretty cool gift to New Zealand," he said.
Jucy chief executive Tim Alpe, who founded his rental car business with his brother when he was just 26, said Jucy struggled to find staff for counter jobs and car grooming and was now recruiting 15 to 20 staff for the country's first 144-bed "capsule hotel" at Christchurch Airport.
NZME chief executive Michael Boggs, whose company publishes the New Zealand Herald, said giving young people jobs was "at the centre of creating a vibrant, innovative workforce that will ensure New Zealand continues to punch above its weight on the global stage".
