NZ employers need immigrants

A new survey of New Zealand employers reveals that many rely on immigrants to fill shortages in their companies.

According to the Employers and Manufacturers Association’s annual survey of its members, 49 per cent of employers had used the immigration process to recruit staff in 2017. This compared to 38 per cent in 2016 and just 27 per cent in 2015.

However, 43 per cent of employers rated using the immigration system as being either ‘difficult’ or ‘very difficult’. And with the new Kiwi government aiming to cut immigration by 20,000 to 30,000 places next year, the chances are the process with become even harder in the future.

Employers say that they are having to rely on migrants due to a lack of suitable talent domestically. Sixty-one per cent of respondents said that they were struggling to attract qualified staff. This jumps to 72 per cent when looking to recruit staff who are judged to possess particular skills.

What’s more, the majority of those surveyed (65 per cent) believe that there will be a shortage in the manufacturing industry in the coming year or so.

About half (48 per cent) of respondents expected overall business conditions to stay the same in 2018, while 28 per cent expected conditions to worsen.

Only 24 per cent expected business conditions to improve.

Article published 6th December 2017