Highly-qualified immigrants forced into low-paid jobs

Rodica Chelaru, a BBC correspondent in Romania, ended up working as a checkout operator in NZ. Picture / Kellie Blizard

Rusty Kambata didn't come to New Zealand to cook chickens. He came to escape overcrowding and corruption in India, and – with an MA himself – to seek better educational opportunities for his son.

But, after months of searching, the best he could find was a job at KFC.

Rusty went from being an oilfield geologist with 16 years' experience and a comfortable life to working 12-hour days, seven days a week, to make ends meet.

His story is not unfamiliar. We've all heard of the taxi driver with a doctorate in rocket science or the cleaner who was a doctor. Do they exist?

The latest Hudson recruitment survey suggests they do, particularly in Auckland, where 40 per cent of immigrants settle. Of 1705 employers surveyed, one in four said there are barriers to employing migrants but are doing nothing about them.

Some 78 per cent said non-technical skills like communication are the biggest obstacle to migrants being employed in line with their qualifications and experience.

While talkback radio callers lament the "brain drain" of smart young Kiwis overseas, employers and Government agencies are ignoring years of industry or professional experience flowing into the country.

New Zealand approved 132,360 temporary work permits in the year to June 30, up from 71,484 in 2001- 2002.

Another 51,236 people gained permanent residency, nearly 60 per cent in the skilled migrant category. Skilled migrants must pass a strict test of their qualifications and English.

Most have professions identified as being in short supply here. Still, the Hudson report found unemployment among migrant workers above 10 per cent.

Anecdotal evidence suggests "under-employment" is much higher. It took Rusty three years to find a decent job, working at an insurance company call centre – though that still falls short of his abilities.

After KFC he spent 18 months as a factory worker on $10 an hour. Frustration led to depression and strained his marriage.

'Complete waste'

At times he wished he had never come here. "It was a complete waste of my MA."

Cue Rodica Chelaru, once a BBC radio correspondent in Romania, who wants us to keep our promises.