No mass layoffs after Canterbury quake
Most Canterbury businesses didn't make any staff redundant after the quake, and many have actually taken on new staff, a University of Canterbury study suggests.
Fears of mass job losses in Canterbury following last year’s earthquake haven’t been realised, new University of Canterbury research suggests.
Researchers found that as of mid-November, 93% of respondent organisations had not made any staff redundant in the wake of the September 4 earthquake.
“In fact, we found that 25% of respondents had taken on more staff in the wake of the earthquake,” said Dr John Vargo, co-leader of the Resilient Organisations Research Programme in UC’s Department of Accounting and Information Systems.
So far 279 organisations have responded to the survey, which is part of an 18-month longitudinal study being undertaken by Dr Vargo, Dr Erica Seville (Civil Engineering), Dr Tom Wilson (Geological Sciences) and three PhD students.
The survey has also revealed a generally positive view towards insurance cover.
Factors that helped lessen the impact of the earthquake included well-designed and well-built buildings, an organisation’s relationship with its staff, available cash or credit, water, sewage, electricity, and communications being restored quickly or not interrupted, and the organisation’s relationship with its suppliers.
Many organisations found that intangible aspects of the process of recovering from the earthquake event took the greatest toll, rather than infrastructure and essential services.
Asked to name the biggest challenge running their organisation after the earthquake, 26% cited employees and their wellbeing.
Niko Kloeten
Mon, 17 Jan 2011
Mon, 17 Jan 2011
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No mass layoffs after Canterbury quake
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