The idyllic, green landscape and laid-back lifestyle have long drawn Brits to New Zealand and, with job vacancies at their highest level since 2008 and unemployment at just 6%, now is the great time to seek work down under. As the New Zealand Skills in Demand list shows, there are immediate and long-term shortages in a huge range of sectors and employers waiting to fill exciting new positions.
What are the New Zealand Skills in Demand?
As the population of New Zealand increases, there is a long-term need for education and health care workers to support this new generation. Special educational needs teachers and lecturers are particularly in demand, while in healthcare there are many vacancies for GPs, nurses, dental staff and social workers.
The country’s economy is predicted to grow 4.4% by 2016 creating many immediate vacancies for highly skilled business and finance workers such as accountants, auditors and managers. The IT industry is already flourishing and there is a long-term shortage of technicians, programmers and web developers.
New Zealand continues to attract travellers from all over the world and the tourism and hospitality industries are also benefitting from the current economic confidence. There is a long-term shortage of chefs in many of the country’s big cities and, in the fast-growing winter sports market, there are immediate vacancies for instructors and guides.
New Zealand’s financial success is built on a solid foundation of manufacturing and agriculture, industries which continue to create jobs at an impressive rate. Currently, winemakers, dairy and beef farmers, vets and agricultural scientists are particularly in demand in the farming sector, while production managers, plastics technicians and metalworkers are needed in the manufacturing industry.
The Canterbury Skills Shortage List
As Christchurch recovers from the devastating earthquake of 2011, the efforts to rebuild the city continue to put huge demands on the current workforce. The Canterbury Skills Shortage List details all sectors requiring additional labour and naturally construction and engineering are central with a great need for surveyors, project managers, civil engineers, tradesmen and telecommunications technicians
Visas and Working in New Zealand
If you are in a profession that is on the New Zealand Skills in Demand List, it can make the process of finding work and getting a visa much easier. If you are offered a job listed on the Long Term Skills Shortage List, you can be granted a Work to Residence Visa. If, after two years, you are still working in a long-term shortage job and have a salary of at least NZ$45,000 you can then apply for residence. If you are applying through the Skilled Migrant Category firm job offer in a long-term shortage occupation can also help boost your points score.
A job offer from the Immediate or Canterbury Skills Shortage List allows you to apply for a Temporary Work Visa without a labour market test to check there are no New Zealanders that can fill the position first.
To find out more about international removals to New Zealand check out our ultimate guide to moving to New Zealand.
