New Zealand employers in the construction industry are taking advantage of the country’s LookSee Build campaign designed to attract foreign talent.
At a time when industry organisations are warning the nation 50,000 workers are needed over the next four years to keep up with the burgeoning construction industry, skilled migration provides solution for many New Zealand construction and engineering firms who are struggling to keep up with growing demands.
“The sector is screaming out for people who can hit the ground running,” said David Kelly, CEO of the Registered Master Builders Association. “Ideally companies would like to recruit locally, but if they can’t it’s a no brainer for some to look offshore, particularly when the skills and training system here is trying to adjust to meet this demand.”
Thirty private companies have found success with the international talent procurement programme, LookSee Build New Zealand. Auckland Transport, Downer, Harrison Grierson and Naylor Love are some of the New Zealand companies that have united together for the recruitment drive to meet their labour requirements.
“Our involvement with the LookSee campaign has been an invaluable opportunity to connect with highly skilled, experienced, quality candidates within the Transportation and Road Infrastructure sectors, from all over the world,” said Rochelle White, Recruitment Consultant from Auckland Transport, “the LookSee campaign also gave us the opportunity to improve our employment brand internationally.”
Over 15,000 off-shore candidates are registered with the programme.
Damian Sainsbury, LookSee Managing Director says, “In spite of overall migration slowing, that is not the case for skilled workers, with new visas in the skilled categories tracking at greater than 10 per cent ahead of last year.”
LookSee Build NZ, run by recruitment firm HainesAttract and supported by Immigration New Zealand, recognises nationwide collaboration is required to find the top talent the industry needs, and delivers the perfect platform and programme to do just that.
Launched in October 2017, the initiative is designed to entice skilled construction and engineering professionals to New Zealand for interviews and a quintessential Kiwi experience. These range from black water rafting in the Waitomo caves to wine-tasting on Waiheke Island. Candidates that got a job through the programme had their airfares repaid. Fifty candidates flew into Auckland in February for the event, named LookSee Build NZ Week. Now, more than half of these candidates have landed jobs with New Zealand employers.
LookSee Build NZ is set to host another event week in July 2018, this time focusing on supporting the diversity agenda by targeting women in construction and engineering.
Article published 10th May 2018