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How Labour Hire Works in NZ: A Site Manager's Guide to Getting Staff Fast
Short-staffed and need people on site this week? Here is how labour hire works in NZ and when it is the smartest way to fill the gap.
6 min read
Every site manager knows the feeling. A job is ramping up, two workers call in, and the schedule will not wait. Hiring someone permanent takes weeks you do not have. This is exactly the gap that labour hire is built to fill.
If you have never used a labour hire company before, this guide explains how it works in New Zealand, what it costs, and when it is the right call for your business.
What a Labour Hire Company Does
A labour hire company employs skilled workers and places them with businesses that need extra hands. The workers are on the labour hire company's books, not yours. You tell the company what roles and skills you need, and they supply people who are ready to work.
At Unite Recruit, that covers trades and general labour across construction, civil, warehousing, forestry, and more. Because the workers are employed by us, we handle their pay, their compliance, and the paperwork that comes with employing them. That also covers hiring migrant staff under our Accredited Employer status.
How It Works, Step by Step
The process is designed to be quick. You get in touch and tell us the roles you need, how many people, and for how long. We match workers from our pool who have the right skills and tickets for the job. They turn up to your site ready to go, and you direct their work day to day just like your own crew.
When the job winds down or your needs change, you simply adjust the numbers. There is no redundancy process to manage, because the workers remain employed by us between placements.
What Labour Hire Costs
With labour hire, you pay an hourly rate for each worker rather than a salary. That rate covers the worker's wages plus the labour hire company's costs of employing them, including things like holiday pay, ACC, and payroll. You are billed for the hours worked, so your cost scales up and down with the actual work.
It usually costs more per hour than employing someone directly, and that trade is deliberate. You are paying for speed, flexibility, and for someone else to carry the employment admin and risk. For short-term, seasonal, or uncertain work, that trade often comes out ahead.
When Labour Hire Is the Right Call
Labour hire suits you when the work is busy but hard to predict, when you need people on site quickly, or when you want to see how someone performs before offering them a permanent role. It is also a clean way to cover a sudden gap without rushing a permanent hire you might regret.
If you have steady, long-term work for a role, employing someone directly may cost less over time. Many businesses run a core permanent team and use labour hire to flex around the peaks. That way the base is covered and the busy weeks do not leave you short.
Getting Staff on Site
The quickest way to see if labour hire fits your situation is to tell us what you are dealing with. We can talk through the roles you need, how soon you need them, and whether a temporary crew or a permanent placement will serve you better. If your work is in Auckland, our guide to labour hire in Auckland covers what to expect locally.
