A new survey of the construction industry has found that uncertainty over big Government projects is severely impacting the workforce.
The 2019 Construction Industry Survey also found that the industry needs tens of thousands of new workers to complete projects on which the Government has promised "record spending".
However, respondents indicated fewer new staff will be needed in the next 12 months than in the previous two years. Despite the numbers, 50 per cent indicated they would plan to recruit to add to their workforce.
Civil Contractors NZ CEO Peter Silcock says workers need more job security as many major projects come to an end.
"Over the next 18 months, as those jobs come to an end, people are going to say, 'How am I going to feed my family at the end of this project?'," Mr Silcock told TVNZ1's Breakfast.
"They're not going to wait for the end of the project to figure out what's happening - they tend to do that in the last 12 months of the project.
"Now's the time for us to move. Now's the time for us to bring those projects forward, give those people certainty about how they're going to feed their families in the future."
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