Source: Radio New Zealand
Chief executive of the New Zealand-owned recruitment agency Tribe, Bruce Pilbrow, says those whose jobs are affected might have to consider other industries. Supplied/AFP
With almost 9000 public service jobs set to go, a recruitment expert says some workers will be forced into a career change.
The government announced on Tuesday that it plans to slash the public sector workforce by 14 percent over the next three years, to save $2.4 million.
Chief executive of the New Zealand-owned recruitment agency Tribe, Bruce Pilbrow, said those whose jobs were affected might have to consider other industries.
“One thing that is positive for public sector servants is that a lot of them have very transferable skills. They’ve often worked in multiple departments within organisations and have multiple skills.
“It’s a matter of sitting down with someone to potentially rethink what they’re offering to market when looking for a new role.”
He said Wellington, in particular, might see steep competition for jobs as a result of the cuts.
“The sad thing for Wellington is we do know it as the hub of the public sector, where government sits. We can’t ignore the fact that this decision affects the capital first and foremost.”
But he said the sector was far from obsolete and the government still needed enough people in public service roles that served the needs of New Zealand.
“Some of the challenges that we have in New Zealand that the public sector serves are still there.”
He said disruption was happening across multiple industries, not just public service.
“Everybody in their careers, it doesn’t matter where, needs to look at how they present to market, what they specialise in, what they love doing, and whether they can move to other sectors.
“A lot of businesses are starting to look outside the capabilities they would normally hire for, for different, fresh types of thinking, outside of their sector. There are also opportunities being created across the country.”
But he acknowledged there were challenges that came with a career pivot, including a potential salary decrease.
“Often, when you move sector, you have to go down to go up.
“If you’ve been in the public sector for a long time, you can get quite comfortable there, and it’s quite scary to think about something else.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/20/recruitment-expert-says-some-public-service-workers-may-be-forced-into-career-change/