NZ companies looking to Germany to find skilled labour

Regional development organisations, recruitment companies and the New Zealand Department of Labour's Immigration Service are joining a number of local employers who are heading to the inaugural German employment expo in search of skilled migrants.

Initiated and organised by the German Federal Employment Service, the expo will take place in Bonn and Berlin in mid October. It will help to alleviate the chronic skill shortage that is affecting many sectors of the New Zealand economy.

The German economy by contrast is struggling with economic restructuring, five million unemployed and high taxation, and faces a surplus of skilled labour, particularly in engineering, construction, industrial sectors and trades.

Matt Jones, managing director of recruitment company Canstaff knows the scenario only too well. Specialising in the construction, engineering and healthcare sectors, his team is finding it extremely difficult to find local talent for their clients. He explains, "We always try to recruit locally but given the sheer numbers involved we simply have to look overseas."

He will go to Germany with over 90 vacancies. However, he remains cautiously optimistic about his prospects because he knows from experience that employment expos are proving a highly efficient tool for offshore recruitment.

The employment expo will be opened by the NZ ambassador to Germany and aims to be a one-stop-shop where potential migrants can find relevant information about working and living in New Zealand. Presentations by the Immigration Service about work visa and permanent residence requirements will be supplemented with specific seminars and trade display-type information from participating employers and their representatives.