New Zealand maintains fuel supply is 'currently stable'
Demand for flexible work arrangements is gaining momentum in New Zealand as fuel costs surge due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Applications for job ads offering fully remote and hybrid work arrangements have seen an increase in the 14 days ending 22 March, the New Zealand Herald reported, citing data from job marketplace app ZEIL.
ZEIL's data revealed that applications for remote jobs went up 112%, while applications for hybrid roles increased 23%.
Users who are searching for "Work from Home" also climbed by 22%.
"Jobseekers are increasingly prioritising roles that offer flexibility and the ability to work from home, whether that's fully remote or hybrid," said Caitlin Langlands, marketing manager at ZEIL.
Support from employers needed
The demand for flexible work arrangements is also seen among unions, which are pushing for remote work and other forms of support from employers amid rising fuel costs.
Workers First Union, which represents finance workers, recently wrote to financial institutions asking them to allow working from home as "often as necessary" for employees that can do so.
The union also asked to suspend office attendance requirements, and to subsidise transport costs for employees required to be on-site.
"This is no longer a nice-to-have. It is becoming a necessity, and for workers that can work from home, it is an achievable solution that would provide some relief and peace of mind," said Callum Francis, Workers First national organiser for finance, in the letter to employers.
Francis said the union is eager to meet with employers to discuss how businesses can help to facilitate personal cost savings.
"The global issue of petrol price increases may be outside of your company's control, but what you can control is how the business steps up for workers in a way that reflects the care and consideration they offer your customers on a daily basis," he added.
The New Zealand government also received a similar request from the Public Service Association earlier this month, with the union saying working from home will reduce demand on fuel and protect workers from the impact of increased petrol prices.
Governments and some private sector employers across the world have implemented various accommodations to ease fuel demand and cushion the impact of surging prices to employees.
These measures include introducing flexible work arrangements and even four-day work weeks.
'Fuel supply is currently stable'
In New Zealand, the national government maintained that there is no immediate shortage to fuel supply despite the conflict in the Middle East.
"Fuel supply is currently stable, and our stocks remain sufficient," it said in a statement.
It announced that the country is currently on the Phase One of its Fuel Response Framework, where there is "no need" for businesses to change behaviour.
"The market is working normally. Fuel supplies are continuing to arrive, and there is no need for households or businesses to change behaviour or buy more fuel than usual," it said.
But the government noted that the disruption to major shipping routes can place upward pressure on global prices, which New Zealand can be exposed to.
To ease the burden of the immediate shocks from the conflict, it previously announced a $50 weekly support for about 143,000 working families with children through the in-work tax credits.
The support will last for one year, or until the price of 91 octane petrol drops below $3 a litre for four consecutive weeks.
"This temporary boost will deliver support to working families who are under significant cost-of-living pressure, without making inflation worse or further driving up Government debt," said Finance Minister Nicola Willis in a statement.
