Recent cuts by the National-led coalition government to public service graduate programmes have left some students fearful over job prospects after uni.
The National-led coalition has been trying to reduce government debt since coming to power last year, and while this reduction is being financed in a myriad of ways, job cuts in the public sector are a prominent aspect of this refinancing. The cuts will predominantly affect BA and BCom students, many of whom have expressed concerns over the cuts.
In her time as Finance Minister, Nicola Willis has directed government agencies to reduce spending by 6.5-7.5%. The Ministry of Education has lost 555 jobs, the Department of Internal Affairs 514 jobs, and Oranga Tamariki has cut 447 jobs. Additionally, these public sector agencies have reduced their graduate programme intakes, meaning new graduates are set to compete against qualified workers for positions in coming months.
In terms of graduate programmes specifically, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) have cut 20 grad roles. With many programmes starting recruitment in the coming months, there are fears some programmes may not run at all. The change would leave less entry-level jobs for graduates. Better learn how to set up a LinkedIn account.
Critic Te Ārohi talked with Kip, a student in his final year of a Politics degree. Kip said, “It’s really disheartening to see thousands of jobs being cut, since I’ve gone into tens of thousands of dollars of debt to get a job in this sector. Like, if they don’t have room for people in established roles, why would they have room for a grad?”
“It does make me seriously consider jumping the ditch,” Kip said. He raises a good point, with the phrase “brain drain” being chucked around a lot recently to describe the amount of Kiwi’s gapping to Aussie after graduating. With more job opportunities, higher salaries, and lower expenses, Australia is providing a solid chance to escape cozzie livs.
If you can’t grab a grad role, staying in Aotearoa looks increasingly challenging. The options are looking pretty grim in the land of ever-increasing rent and grocery prices. You could battle it out in an oversaturated job market or go into (even more) debt to do postgrad, if the thought of job hunting is not something you wanna deal with right now.
According to StatsNZ, from October last year New Zealand has seen a net migration of 44,500 citizens leaving the country for greener pastures – meaning the chances of you bumping into an ex might be just as likely if you move countries.