The high-skilled and varied employment opportunities for Māori in the Bay of Plenty have been highlighted in Infometrics’ Te Matapae Māori economic profile.
However, with nearly 22,000 Māori job openings in the Bay of Plenty over the next five years, and more than 45,000 rangatahi expected to enter the labour force in the next 10 years, more needs to be done to ensure Māori have the right skills to access opportunities in the changing labour market.
Māori made up nearly 25 per cent of employment in the Bay of Plenty in 2021, compared with 13.4 per cent nationally.
There has been strong employment growth for Māori in the Bay of Plenty between 2016 and 2021 – going from 32,836 to 39,972 – highlighting the increase in Māori gaining valuable work skills and earning income.
However, the majority of the Māori workforce (48 per cent) are currently in low-skilled employment.
By increasing access to high-quality vocational pathways, career advice, education and training, there are significant opportunities for Māori to increase employment in high-skilled and high-paying professional and managerial occupations.
Medical practitioners and engineering, science and ICT professionals are some of the occupations identified as having high growth potential for Māori, good earnings and low susceptibility to automation.
When considering occupations to get into, rangatahi are being encouraged to look at whether Māori are under or overrepresented in that occupation, as well as the growth potential over the next five years, both in their region and nationally.
Infometrics’ Te Matapae Māori economic profile highlights that there are a range of employment opportunities for Māori in the Bay of Plenty.
A good understanding of future growth prospects and earnings is key to ensuring ongoing, sustainable employment in the long-term.
