A new government call centre will bring 50 jobs to Hastings.
File image. Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King
The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) announced today it will open a new centre in Hastings.
Workers at the centre will help people find jobs, with the Ministry anticipating a surge in demand with workers laid off during the Covid-19 recovery.
MSD regional commissioner Anne Aranui said the centre would be based at the former ANZ bank premises, and was expected to open on 1 July.
"We are anticipating a significant increase in demand on all our services, particularly job-search and recruitment, and the hub will enable us to provide greater support to clients and our employers," she said.
"It will enable us to utilise technology to better help people during the Covid-19 recovery, including having more appointments over the phone and being able to provide documents online rather than dropping them off in person."
Announcing a new relief payment for newly unemployed jobseekers yesterday, Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni said MSD would administer those payments, and would also have "significantly bolstered employment support".
Hastings mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said the jobs could not have come at a better time
"Having an employment call centre based in Hastings is a fantastic opportunity for our community. We know some people have lost their jobs through Covid-19 and we are thrilled that they could be redeployed and re-trained as a call centre employee."
Applications for the new Hastings centre opened today and more information is available here.