Managing the rising tide of an uncertain workforce

As New Zealand organisations lean harder into gig and contract work, HR leaders are being forced to rethink some of their most fundamental assumptions about what a “workforce” even is.

According to data from Stats NZ, as of 2019, one in 20 workers were contractors, totalling nearly 144,000.

Further Stats NZ data revealed a 35% increase in gig workers from 2012 to 2020, surpassing 250,000.

This growing and often grey area of employment places strain on HR teams as they navigate uncertainty in their workforce.

Speaking with HRD, Nicole Karagiannis, country manager at MyHR, noted that the shift is already well under way – and many businesses are underprepared for the cultural and compliance challenges that come with it.

From fixed headcount to fluid workforces

Karagiannis said today’s economic uncertainty is pushing leaders away from traditional permanent hiring models and towards more flexible arrangements.

“There's this hesitation in terms of committing to a full-time permanent or a part-time permanent worker profile,” she explained.

That is compounded by “the rise of fear around engaging casual workforce” given conversion rights under legislation and growing anxiety about unfair dismissal claims.

The result: “There’s definitely a trend that is increasingly moving towards engaging independent contractors.”

At the same time, workers themselves are no longer chasing the traditional nine to five roles that they once did.

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