The majority of New Zealand companies are finding it difficult to attract skilled staff, a survey by a consultancy firm suggests.
The consultancy firm questioned under 300 people from all sectors and company size, and found that despite the soft job market, 83% of firms have problems recruiting skilled employees.
The shortage was most acutely felt in the construction and property sectors following the Christchurch earthquakes, followed by the IT industry.
The survey also found that a third of workers are eyeing up a job move in the next 12 months, whereas employers believed they had a more loyal workforce.
Deloitte head of Human Capital Richard Kleinhart says that disconnect will make the skills shortage worse.
He says for a long time a number of employers have been relying on recession, or the global financial crisis to attract the skilled workers.
But Mr Kleinhart says a a temporary buffer not a talent strategy, and he believes there's been some complacency amongst many employers.
He says enlightened companies don't take their employees for granted and have been more creative in terms of looking at their employer brand.
Mr Kleinhart says employers need to understand what specific groups of employees value, for example baby-boomers tend to place a very high value on flexible work arrangements.
