NZ employers being ‘failed by immigration system’

The Immigration spokesperson for New Zealand’s opposition labour party has stated that the results of an employer survey released earlier this week proves that the current government is failing the country’s employers where skilled workers are concerned.

As reported on Emigrate2.co.uk earlier this week, the survey conducted by the Employers and Manufacturers Association (EMA) found that immigration is the third biggest concern New Zealand employers have regarding their businesses.

And according to Dr Rajen Prasad the frustrations that the employers have with the immigration system are entirely justified.

“The end of year Employment Survey by the EMA shows that there is a gap between the immigration system and the country’s employers over the need for skilled staff,” he said. “This means that skilled staffs are being sent home after a relatively short period because their visas are not being renewed.”

He continued: “I can understand the frustration of employers when you consider the time taken to find, bring and train to New Zealand [standards] suitable workers from overseas. It makes it all the more difficult to have to let these workers go after a short period of time.

“I have constituents, both employers and employees, who have struggled with this issue for some time. The Immigration system should be robust enough to determine where the skills shortages are and provide for permits that enable employers to recruit effectively from overseas.”

According to official figures, in the 2012/13 financial year, Immigration New Zealand approved 158,542 work permit applications. This was significantly down on the 175,714 applications approved in 2008/09.