25 Feb 2017

48k new jobs predicted annually for next 10 years

6:16 am on 25 February 2017

The government's 10-year employment forecast is predicting massive growth in job numbers, especially those that are highly skilled.

A file photo shows a construction worker selecting steel mesh for concrete reinforcement factory

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment is predicting 6800 new construction jobs each year for the next 10 years. Photo: Cultura Creative

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment said the construction industry would experience the biggest increase.

Its report predicts about 48,000 new jobs overall would be created every year for the next 10 years.

That includes 6800 new construction jobs every year, with the slowest growth coming in the primary industries at 1300 per year.

"Employment growth will be strongest for highly-skilled occupations (27,400 jobs annually), and weakest for low-skilled occupations (14,2000 annually)," it said.

The report said strong spending by migrants would be a big factor.

However, Westpac Bank senior economist Satish Ranchhod said the government was being overly optimistic.

"We think it will be tough to get gains of the size the ministry is expecting in the long term, particularly in construction, where we are already running into capacity issues," he said.

"The industry has been growing at a solid pace for some time and the labour market has become increasingly tight."

He said migration has been supporting the economy in increasing demand for goods and services and housing, but it would not always be the case that people coming into the country would have suitable skills.

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