Jobs & Money Detail
NZ unemployment update
Mixed news from New Zealand, where rising unemployment statistics clash with more positive word-of-mouth reports
On the stats side, the government revealed last month that an additional 52,000 people have signed on for benefits in the past year - leaving more than 310,000 now relying on state subsidisation. Social development spokesperson Annette King said that the figures were worrying because they showed the 'real' number of people who had been made redundant since the start of the recession. "These figures show that there are significantly more unemployed than first thought," she commented.
On the other hand, recruitment experts say that job prospects are looking up. Hays recruitment managing director Jason Walker revealed in August that more vacancies are emerging across the commercial and government sectors as employers show more confidence with their recruitment spending. The most common areas for hiring, he said, were accountants and cost analysts, insolvency experts, engineers and litigation lawyers.
Another recruitment specialist, David Lowe of the Northern Employers and Manufacturers Association (EMA), identified another sign of green shoots in the New Zealand recruitment market. "Earlier in the year, EMA's helpline was inundated with enquiries on how to manage restructuring and redundancy," he said. "Fewer calls are now being made, as it appears most employers have cut their cloth for the recession."
So what should job-hunting migrants be looking for in the current New Zealand recruitment market? Well, Walker believes that the deciding factor for jobs candidates has become the security of positions rather than the size of their salary. "Over the last year, candidates have adjusted to the competition for jobs by becoming more realistic in the expectations of employers," he said. "One consequence of this has been a reduction of salary pressure. Employees want long term career opportunities and strong forward workloads to ensure their position will be stable."
The October issue of Emigrate magazine will feature an in-depth report into New Zealand's labour market and what this means for your visa strategy
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