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SKILLS SHORTAGE AT HIGH

By Lawrence Johnston

SKILLS shortages in New Zealand are at a 30 year high and due to an ageing population, are forecast to continue over the long term.
It is a picture not uncommon in developed countries, but the need to fill those posts has now become so acute, that the New Zealand Government is trying to persuade, not only first time migrants from the UK, but also ex-patriot New Zealanders to return home.
Rolling out a new website and other marketing activity to support New Zealand's recently launched 'Expats Programme', new Immigration Minister David Cunliffe said: "We need to compete, and stay ahead of other countries who want our skills. New Zealand is currently well placed to attract people into the workforce due to our strong economy, low unemployment levels, and skills shortages across most sectors," he said.
The country was increasingly a high-tech country, networked across the globe to facilitate leading-edge business. New Zealand was now "smart, thriving and connected," Mr Cunliffe said.
The shortage included builders, plumbers, managers, manufacturing experts, designers, teachers, engineers, programmers and nurses.
Some of these categories were hugely in demand from New Zealand employers who attended the recent round of exhibitions in the UK for potential migrants.
In particular, the employers are crying out for engineers, health professionals and trades people such as plumbers and electricians. IT people are much in demand, and there is a growing need for people with marketing experience.
Primary school teachers are less in demand than they were a year ago, but secondary school science teachers are still much in demand. Other categories of secondary school teachers are needed in some parts of New Zealand, but not as widely as they were.
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) who were represented at eight such events in September and October, are currently surveying New Zealand employers who attended those shows, to establish how effective the shows were in the job market.
INZ London branch Marketing Manager Ian Riddle told New Zealand Outlook that the engineers in demand include project, environmental, water and civil engineers. At the shows, the employers had hundreds of jobs on offer for engineers interested in emigrating, and similar numbers for trades people and health professionals.
Overall from the shows up to 100 jobs are likely to have been placed with potential migrants.
And the demand for primary school teachers may pick up over the next three years. Within that period, the New Zealand Government wants some 1,300 extra primary teachers for Year One classes to implement a one to 15 teacher - pupil ratio for new entrant classes.
That undertaking was given at last month's ((November)) State Opening of the New Zealand Parliament, when Governor General Dame Silvia Cartwright outlined the recently re-elected Labour-led Government's plans.