It is always such a long grind between Queen’s Birthday Weekend and Labour Weekend. We hope you all enjoyed the long weekend and had plenty of time to recharge the batteries.
This month’s newsletter addresses a range of topics across education, regional data, and the consumption outlook. Shaun Twaddle wades into whether PTEs should change their name to Independent Tertiary Institutions, arguing the move could boost international education earnings.
Also in the area of education and skills, Andrew Whiteford looks at falling numbers of school leavers and how industries and regions should devise strategies to fill skills gaps. To finish off the skills theme, we look at the New Zealand Vocational Education and Research Forum that Infometrics sponsored.
Switching our focus to the role of transport infrastructure in connecting local communities, Benje Patterson takes a constructive look at why regional decision-makers and transport planners need to use consistent local area economic and social data. The newsletter is rounded out with a quick update by Matt Nolan on what retailers should expect in 2016, and an opportunity to book Gareth Kiernan to present our latest economic forecasts at your offices.
Two of the larger peak bodies in the private training establishment sector recently discussed that they want to change their name from Private Training Establishments to Independent Tertiary Institutions. Could this change in name increase economic growth for New Zealand as a whole?
The number of kids leaving school in New Zealand is now declining. Couple this with an ageing workforce and it means that employers are going to increasingly struggle to find trained individuals for their job openings. We need to consider how industries and region are going to face this challenge.
Infometrics has established a strong working relationship with organisations working across the tertiary education sector. Infometrics was therefore proud to sponsor the New Zealand Vocational Education and Training (NZVET) Research Forum held in Wellington last week.
Strategic transport decisions have far-reaching economic and social impacts for regional New Zealand. It is essential that regional leaders and transport decision-makers have the appropriate local area data in front of them to make optimal investment decisions.
Consumer spending will grow at a historically average rate during 2016. However, averages can be misleading, with the composition of spending changing significantly over the year ahead. Low dairy prices, rising unemployment, and weak wage growth are expected to see consumers tighten their belts during 2016 – with individual consumers unwilling to spend in the face of job insecurity and limited income growth.
Stay up-to-date with developments in the New Zealand economy – and how they affect your industry or region. In November, Gareth Kiernan (Chief Forecaster) will be visiting a number of centres across New Zealand, presenting insights from our latest Economic, Building, and Transport Forecasts.
