Salesa Jenny: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeSalesa Jenny: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 05 May 2016. Volume:713;Page:10837. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]12.JENNY SALESA (Labour—Manukau East) to the Minister for Tertiary Education Skills and Employment: Is he confident in his oversight of the tertiary education sector given that over the next 5 years there is estimated to be a 58 percent shortfall in the number of plumbers required in Auckland alone?Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Minister for Tertiary Education Skills and Employment): Overall yes. The construction industry in Auckland is growing rapidly. There have been an additional 25000 construction jobs added in the last 2 years. There has also been very big growth in training as well. In regard to plumbers in particular the figure that I have seen in the presentation I think the member is referring to from Master Plumbers Gasfitters and Drainlayers talks of a need for around 600 more plumbers in Auckland over the period 2013-2018. I think that is entirely achievable because for context there are currently around 2500 people doing plumbing apprenticeships or apprenticeship-type training around New Zealand in this area. There are also big increases in the first-time enrolments for plumbing which reached 633 in 2014. So although the workforce in construction is growing rapidly I am confident that the response from trainees and employers is also growing rapidly.Jenny Salesa: Why is Auckland’s unemployment rate above the national average at 6.6 percent while at the same time companies in the construction industry are scrambling to find enough labourers?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I am not sure of the accuracy of the member’s statements but in terms of the growth in employment just under half the growth of employment over the last 6 months has been in Auckland. We have also seen very big increases in the construction sector over that period. The member herself will be aware that we have a number of initiatives in place including the Māori and Pasifika Trades Training Initiative—she has attended some of the presentations in regard to that—which is recruiting young Māori and Pasifika in particular into the trades and that is proving to be successful.Jenny Salesa: By what percentage has the annual number of apprentices participating in industry training fallen since 2008?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I do not have the numbers with me since 2008 because they did reduce during the global financial crisis as Mr Twyford referred to but since 2013 we have seen an increase of 12 percent in just 1 year from 2013 to 2014 and today there are around 42000 people enrolled in apprenticeships and apprenticeship-type training.Jenny Salesa: After 8 years in the job as the responsible Minister what does he say to Steve Fowler of Macrennie Commercial Construction who says: “There’s a general shortage across the board and that’s all skill sets”?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I think the member is very generous about my length of tenure in the job but leaving that aside for example we are seeing a rapid increase in the number of people working in construction. I remember very similar comments in the Canterbury rebuild back when we were told we would need to double the size of the construction workforce in Canterbury and it would not be possible. In actual fact it happened with increases in training with people returning to the workforce and in terms of migration as well. We are now seeing very rapid growth in the sector in Auckland. The training system is responding effectively and the system is growing dramatically.Jenny Salesa: Does he accept any responsibility for the skills shortage gap in Auckland as the Minister responsible for skills training or does he just agree with the people who have given up on relying on his Government and now say the best answer is easier access to foreign workers?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: With the greatest respect to the member the only people who have given up on this Government are the Opposition members because they do not make any progress against it. In relation to the work that is being done we are seeing rapidly increasing numbers of apprentices rapidly increasing numbers of people working in the construction workforce rapid increases in people in areas like Māori and Pasifika trades training—and those things are all contributing to a growth in the construction workforce to meet the needs of a rapidly growing demand for building houses in Auckland.