NEW ZEALAND IMMIGRATION NEWS

Labour shortage could relax New Zealand immigration laws

Saturday, 1 March 2008

The New Zealand government is being urged to relax immigration laws, as the country's labour shortage crisis is worsening.

Charles Finny, CEO of Wellington Chamber of Commerce, believes there needs to be greater emphases on encouraging skilled migrants come to New Zealand.

Because of this ongoing skills shortage, New Zealand has forced employers to consider hiring older people, says Mature Employment Support Agency co-ordinator Gill Absolon.

Statistics New Zealand has recently released data showing the employee group aged 65 and above had the greatest growth in filled jobs.

Another report by Statistics New Zealand showed that the unemployment rate fell to 3.4% in the December quarter. This is its lowest level since the survey began in 1986. Figures show there are now 2,173,000 people employed in New Zealand.

The report also said that the number of people in jobs increased by just over 1% (23,000 people) in the December quarter.

The growth in employment was driven by full-time employment and the number of women in the workforce.

But despite the growth in employment, New Zealand still has a huge amount of vacancies that need to be filled.

Finny says that immigration rules must be adjusted so that migration levels can rise, because the country is struggling to fill job positions, especially in the IT industry.

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