mySlice data for the Autumn 2023 season shows some exciting trends for local workers, proving that knowledge is power when it comes to workers finding the best wages and conditions in Queenstown.
Let's start with the positives. mySlice data is clearly showing that workers in Queenstown at present should be expecting above living wage pay rates of $25/h and higher, even for entry-level positions. This confirms what local employers Matt Wong (iFly) and Trent Yeo (Ziptrek) have been saying: "Good employers aren't considering the minimum wage; they aren't considering a living wage; they're considering a "living wage for Queenstown".
Workers in Queenstown at present should be expecting above living wage pay rates of $25/h and higher, even for entry-level positions.
The higher wage rates are most noticeable in the Tourism & Hospitality sectors, where a $25/h - $35/h wage range is the local industry standard. Workers in these sectors should be taking full advantage of these rates, as the sector is still largely un-unionised which means that these rates are likely to decrease as more migrant and backpacker workers return to Queenstown, putting downward pressure on wages and conditions. This is why it's vital for local workers organisations and unions to connect with and support migrant workers, as they are vulnerable to exploitation as they are largely coming in cold in regard to knowledge about what wages and conditions to expect, and NZ law relating to workplaces.
It's a good time for workers in Tourism & Hospitality businesses to take a good hard look at their wages and conditions, and consider moving to another employer if theirs is not up to scratch. There will seldom be a better time for workers to exercise their power than right now.
But it's not all good news on the job front in Queenstown. Despite the claims of all workers here getting great pay coming from the likes of ex-mayor Jim Boult or the Chamber of Commerce's Ruth Stokes, some sectors such as Retail are still dominated by low wages and substandard conditions. Despite being a major sector in Queenstown, employing 11.6% of our workers, Retail is till over-represented in mySpace data by wage rates below the living wage and often at or just above the minimum wage.
While some local businesses such as Fresh Choice, Alchemy Equipment and Night & Day are now offering rates at or above $25/h, most retail positions are still paying below this, with some shockingly low wages being offered by the likes of Macpac, Mountain Warehouse and Bunnings still starting their staff on at or just above the minimum wage.
Something is truly rotten in Queenstown and no amount of spin is going to solve the problem until workers are paid decent wages that allow them to be healthy, active, involved members of our community.
These kinds of wages are just not justifiable in any NZ city, let alone one as expensive as Queenstown, and prove that employer organisation claims that "Kiwis just don't want to do these jobs" actually are the result of them paying wages which make living here impossible. Until we, as a community, move beyond thinking that retail is 'just unskilled work that teenagers do', we will continue to see retail shops with reduced hours, closed for extra days, and failing to retain good staff and their institutional knowledge. If workers can't afford to live in this town, even though they're working full-time in a local retail store, something is truly rotten in Queenstown and no amount of spin is going to solve the problem until workers are paid decent wages that allow them to be healthy, active, involved members of our community.
Retail jobs are the ones most likely to advertise without listing the pay rate, but mySlice will continue to chase up our leads and incorporate more businesses in future. We encourage workers in retail stores not yet listed in our data to get in touch or share data about their workplaces.
In the meantime, retail workers should take a good look at our data, should be pushing their employers to pay at least $25/h, or should consider moving into better paying jobs in other sectors.
mySlice will be starting to run features on our best and worst paying local employers in the near future, so if you are a low-paying retail brand, have a good think about what negative publicity this could involve and do the right thing - start paying workers what they deserve.