Despite having to turn away about 4000 job applicants, South Island skifield operator NZSki appears to be picking New Zealanders first.
Each winter NZSki employs between 1000 and 1100 staff between its Coronet Peak, Remarkables and Mt Hutt skifields in the peak season, and thanks to a record staff retention rate of 62% this year, it will have to turn away most of the 4000 to 5000 job applications it receives annually.
NZSki chief executive James Coddington said the applications came from all over the world, but the company had a policy of hiring New Zealanders where possible.
"We do have a very structured recruitment programme to increase our New Zealand workforce, and we have grown to around 60% of our workforce being New Zealanders." He said the company was taking into account the country's high unemployment levels, and said it had hired some "very talented people" from Christchurch left stranded by the earthquake.
"Obviously, with the Christchurch earthquake, a lot of people have been left without a job.
"We have spent a lot of time and energy in the Canterbury region to try to attract people who have been displaced from their jobs and get them jobs up on the mountains."
Applications for positions have been open since February, and Mr Coddington said the NZSki hiring process started online, after which people were short-listed, and face-to-face and Skype interviews followed.
He said applications for most departments would close in a week, but some would remain open until the end of the month.
"We do the best we can to look after our staff ... and to ensure that people want to come back and work here year after year," Mr Coddington said
NZSki
• Runs Coronet Peak, Remarkables and Mt Hutt skifields
• In peak season employs between 1000 and 1100 staff
• 2011 staff retention rate 62%, up from 58% last year
• Between 4000 and 5000 people apply for jobs with NZSki every year
• About 60% of the workforce are New Zealanders
• NZSki employs staff in administration, food and beverages, retail, racing events, snowsports, school events, Skiwiland Creche, maintenance, rentals, lifts, patrols, snow grooming, snow making, and transport departments
