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New Zealand’s brand has been “tarnished” by migrant exploitation cases, an overseas recruiter says.
Another recruiter who attended a job fair in Britain recently said he was shocked to find not one person wanted to move to New Zealand, citing concerns about the rising cost of living, unaffordable house pricesand crime.
Despite these concerns, migration numbers are soaring, recording a 298 per cent increase in one year, but Immigration New Zealand has acknowledged the impact of exploitation cases and says tackling the issue is a key priority.
Last month the NZ Herald reported Immigration had received 711 complaints against accredited employers and 154 were being investigated for criminal offending. Some accreditations had been revoked and dozens more were being assessed for this.
Working In co-founder Scott Mathieson said his company helped recruit skilled people from around the world.
New Zealand’s brand was key to attracting migrants, he said.
“But with all this exploitation our brand has been tarnished.”
It was known globally that people had paid money to come to New Zealand only to find there was no job.
“It’s critical that the candidate has a guarantee that there is a job with a reputable employer.”
Working In co-founder Scott Mathieson.
Success Group managing director Graham Rodgers said exploitation cases had made it more difficult to recruit overseas.
No one had been interested in moving to New Zealand for work at a recent British recruitment drive, he said.
“I attended three job fairs … they were all worried about the cost of living, the lack of housing and crime.
“It is hard to change that perception even if it’s wrong.”
Rodgers had more than 100 trade roles to fill, , with South Africa his next stop.
His company had also recruited in the Philippines but a lot of candidates who accepted roles ended up going to Australia or Canada where their visas were processed faster.
Immigration NZ employment marketing leader Greg Forsythe said exploitation “is an issue that affects all of us”.
Addressing the exploitation of temporary migrant workers was a priority.
“It’s an abuse of the affected workers, it undercuts legitimate businesses, and damages New Zealand’s reputation as a fair place to work, live and do business.”
Migrant Exploitation and Protection Visas allowed migrants who were exploited to leave an exploitative employer and remain in New Zealand lawfully for six months or until their visa expired – whichever came first.
Immigration worked with sector groups, representative bodies and recruiters to promote offshore job events and recruitment fairs in acute skills shortage areas.
Employers could also access its SkillFinder tool, with more than one million prospective migrants worldwide interested in living and working in New Zealand.
Stats NZ figures show 199,500 migrant arrivals of non-New Zealand citizens for the year to August 2023, compared with 50,100 the year before, which was impacted by Covid restrictions.
India, the Philippines, and China accounted for 50 per cent of non-New Zealand citizen migrant arrivals during that period, he said.
Overseas talent vital for NZ workforce
Western Bay economic development agency Priority One workforce and policy general manager Greg Simmonds.
Priority One workforce and policy general manager Greg Simmonds said migrants brought specialist health, engineering and technology skills and enabled industries, such as horticulture and aged care, to fill labour market gaps.
Rotorua NZ head of business growth, insights and innovation Justin Kimberley said in its April 2023 Business Pulse survey of business leaders that for 61 per cent the top concern was finding skilled staff.
A third of businesses were concerned about immigration settings, suggesting employers were looking to immigration to help solve some of their workforce challenges.
Bus company Kinetic NZ chief operating officer Stephen McKeefry said it had kept services running and employed nearly 600 new recruits despite the skills shortage.
“In Tauranga, we are ready to reinstate full services, which is an important milestone and a testament to the efforts of our recruitment and training teams.”
McKeefry said it had used both traditional and non-traditional recruitment strategies, including looking at overseas talent opportunities.
Te Whatu Ora - Health NZ workforce planning and development director John Snook said it recruited internationally to help address workforce shortages.
Those campaigns attracted more than 4000 expressions of interest and about 450 people had been employed.
Long-term, it hoped to grow the domestic workforce and reduce reliance on the global market.
There were 1496 full-time-equivalent (FTE) staff at Te Whatu Ora Lakes and 130.81 FTE vacancies.
Hauora a Toi Bay of Plenty had a headcount of 3636 in Tauranga sites and 61 vacancies as of last month.
‘Remarkable sense of stability and safety’
Mauro Andrea moved to Tauranga in 2018 with his family.
An international IT expert headhunted for a Tauranga job after taking part in a LookSee Wellington programme said it had been a “life-changing experience”.
Argentinian Mauro Andrea said he admired New Zealand’s “breathtaking scenery and fantastic outdoor lifestyle”.
“The booming Information technology industry in the country has always intrigued me. What truly sets New Zealand apart, though, is the remarkable sense of stability and safety it provides, making it an ideal place to raise a family.”
Andrea started work for software development company Cucumber in 2018 as a technical director and enjoys the challenges of the job.
The father-of-two said it was “priceless” to be close to Mount Maunganui, McLaren Falls Park and driving distance to the ski fields.
“My greatest joy is spending quality time outdoors with my family, creating lasting memories.”
Carmen Hall is a news director for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post, covering business and general news. She has been a Voyager Media Awards winner and a journalist for 25 years.
