General Publications
Department of Labour Annual Report 2006
Report on the Department's Activities in 2005/06
The Department’s outcome and new long-term goals
Productive work and high-quality working lives
The Department’s goals focus on maintaining good global connections , improving our workplaces and workforce , and providing people with opportunities to participate in work.
In 2005/06, the Department carried out a review of its strategic direction and developed four new long-term goals. The new goals represent a development of the goals set out in the Department’s 2005/06 Statement of Intent. The Department’s outcome remains unchanged.
Outcome: Productive work and high-quality working lives
The Department aims to achieve productive work and high-quality working lives for New Zealanders. Productive work and high-quality working lives are rewarding and attractive for the individual, and important for both the social and the economic wellbeing of the country. Productive work is about lifting economic value through more efficient and more effective work. It’s about being innovative with technology and workplace organisation and culture, to produce a higher volume or higher value of output. High-quality working lives are safe, well-paid, flexible enough to enable a healthy work-life balance and offer a greater range of choices around participation in the workforce.
This is the future environment envisioned by the Department’s outcome:
- People will be well equipped with the skills they need to participate in the labour market in the ways that they want to, and employers will have a suitably skilled labour force to meet their needs
- Workplaces will be appealing in order to attract and retain the skills and talent they require to be sustainable and grow. Inclusive, flexible workplaces will provide sufficient, appropriate opportunities for people with different abilities and disabilities, people from a variety of cultures and people in a variety of personal circumstances
- Workforces and workplaces will be innovative. Technology will increasingly be used to effectively respond to market needs and improve the value of products and services
- There will be sufficient, appropriate opportunities available for the learning and skill development needs of the labour force throughout people’s working lives
- Workplace initiatives, skill development initiatives and targeted immigration strategies will create a strong, skilled labour force available to meet employers’ needs and increase productivity
- Work will be organised in ways that enable people to do a range of things in their lives. Workplace cultures will engage staff in contributing towards workplace improvement, health and safety systems will be in place and positive employment relationships will exist and be based on good faith between employers and staff.
Refined goals and priorities
In reviewing and re-orienting its work over this past year, the Department has refined and revised its long-term goals and priorities. The Department’s purpose now is: “To make New Zealand a world leader in workforce and workplace performance.”
The new long-term goals ensure better alignment with the Department’s new understanding of its purpose, and the revised, whole-of-Department priorities will ensure that its activities are effective in meeting these goals.
Goals and Medium-term Priorities
OUR PLACE IN THE WORLD:
New Zealand will prosper through its connections with the rest of the world.
Supporting New Zealand’s prosperity through:
- An immigration programme that adds to the richness of our society
- Border security arrangements that manage risk
- Making migrants feel welcome
- Building relationships and partnering with other nations
- Support for Pacific nations.
OUR WORKPLACES:
New Zealand workplaces will lead the world in maximising the value of work while providing a high-quality working life.
Supporting and promoting the transformation of New Zealand workplaces to become high-performing and achieving high-quality working lives, by focussing on:
- The drivers of workplace productivity
- Skills
- Safe and healthy workplace cultures
- Decent Work
- Excellent employment relationships.
OUR WORKFORCE:
The skills of our workers will ensure New Zealand enterprises are leaders internationally.
Influencing the supply of skilled labour by:
- Better targeting the immigration programme
- Working with industry and education sectors to match educational services to the needs of our workers, employers and the economy.
OUR PEOPLE:
All New Zealanders will be able to grow and develop through access to wellpaid and meaningful employment.
Supporting increased labour market participation by leading the Government’s work programme on:
- Enhancing parents’ and other carers’ choices about work and family arrangements
- Assisting transitions into employment for youth
- Enhancing employment for groups that are under-represented in the labour force.