VUWSA to campaign on more job opportunities for students

By Dan Moskovitz

In what will surely come as breaking news to all, getting a job in Wellington is downright difficult. As a student, even more so. So VUWSA is campaigning for it to be easier.

People aged 15-24 have borne the brunt of the economy’s contraction, with most job losses hitting this group. Add an additional 10 thousand public servants also vying for the same roles which graduates are shooting for, and it’s a downright bleak time to be job hunting. Or to have expenses in general, to be honest.

VUWSA are aware of this too, both due to being humans in Wellington but also via their own research. A recent survey at Pipitea found most third years were apathetic to the idea of working in Wellington or already considering moving to Australia. 

Thus, spearheaded by Engagement Vice-President Aidan Donoghue, VUWSA has launched its “Where’s The Work?” campaign. 

“The Where’s The Work campaign is really about putting pressure on decision-makers, particularly within the public service and local Wellington business owners to invest in our students' futures,” says Donoghue.

“We want to encourage and spotlight local businesses that are willing to invest in our students and pay a living wage. So we’re more than happy to partner with local businesses which are willing to champion well-paid student employment.” 

“We also want to do more performative types of actions.We intend to walk to the airport - bags in hand - to show how everyone will go if there isn’t more investment in students.” 

Donoghue, like everyone in the city, has a story here. While he’s been lucky enough to have work throughout his studies, his partner was let go from her job last year. Like much of the city, constant job searching has yielded no results. 

But the economy is its own nebulous thing, which rarely bends to the whims of anyone, politician or not. Is that something you can really campaign against? 

When asked, Donoghue points out the election in 18 months. By campaigning on the lack of graduate investment in the public service now, they’re bringing the issue to the forefront. 

Government data, obtained via Written Parliamentary Questions, shows that graduate roles have dropped by around 14% since 2023. Government agencies were instructed to make cost savings of 6.5%.

“We want to challenge all major and minor parties to hear what they’re going to do about this,” says Donoghue. “We’re more than happy to be pragmatic, but we want to see something happen rather than continuing the status quo.

“Public investment in universities is just going to Australia. All we’re doing is investing in Australia’s working market. If we want to be competitive with Australia, we need to have competitive jobs, competitive conditions, and fair pay.” 

VUWSA intends to cap the campaign off by handing a petition to parliament.