Online service for contract work

TAMMY McCLOUGHEN

SHORT-TERM SOLUTION: Justine Winter, right, and Sandra Diekerhof operate a new online tool for contractors and employers to come together.

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The tight economic times that followed the sharemarket crash of 1987 saw people reconsider their job opportunities.

Layoffs and redundancies forced workers to look at different ways of working and contracting became an attractive option.

Waikato business partners Sandra Diekerhof and Justine Winter say times are similar now. "While overheads can be lowered by cutting staff there is still often work that requires doing, and employing short-term contractors is becoming more commonplace," Mrs Diekerhof said.

Mrs Diekerhof and Mrs Winter have secured the licence to operate Crackerjacks, an online professional contracting tool, in the Waikato region. "There has been a need for more contractors recently due to the changes in the employment market.

"Crackerjacks provides an online database where contractors can list their services and businesses can search for contractors.

"Targeting professional industries such as IT, accountants, HR and policy analysts, the contractors list their services with Crackerjacks for free.

`We do two reference checks on every contractor so businesses have some level of certainty around who they are employing," Mrs Diekerhof said. "But there is still the opportunity for a face-to-face interview between the business and contractor."

Mrs Winter points out Crackerjacks is not a recruitment agency. "At the moment there are obviously a lot of people with uncertainty around their employment, and contracting can be a good bridge or cover for them between finding permanent roles. For other people it is a lifestyle choice."

The business, started in Auckland last year, charges businesses a flat fee per month once a contractor has been hired.

"Recruitment companies charge between 20 and 30 per cent of a contractor's hourly rate," Mrs Diekerhof said.

"Crackerjacks charges a flat fee of $500 monthly once the contractor has been employed.

"To post an available role is free and a shortlist fee of $150 is charged for every five contractors that accept a businesses profile request. Once they have engaged a contractor we refund the shortlist fee."

No fees are charged if the contracting role continues past 12 months.

Mrs Winter says there has been interest from businesses and contractors alike in the Waikato for the new service.

"I think as businesses become more cost-conscious and mindful of their fixed costs like labour costs, using contractors becomes more attractive," she said.

Contracting roles vary from one month to one year and are often for special projects, Mrs Diekerhof said.

"It may be to implement a new system into large organisations or for an organisational development project they might need HR expertise for several months to bed that down, and for covering leave periods."

- © Fairfax NZ News