Moving to Work in New-Zealand?

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Your guide to finding employment in New Zealand in 2022 

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New Zealand is suffering it’s biggest labour shortage in a generation. There is also an expected exodus of skilled Kiwis who have put off their OE through Covid. That means Kiwi returnees and immigrants on work, post study, working holiday, essential or critical skill visas are in a great position to secure a role in Aotearoa over the balance of 2022.

A summary of the positive trends

·       Salaries have seen a sharp increase in recent months,

·       Flexibility and WFH is now the norm, with some roles even fully remote,

·       The labour market is tight, very tight, so all skill sets are in demand,

·       Organisations are slowly getting more open to hiring on potential and without local experience

Temp vs Contract vs Permanent vs Fixed Term Roles

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Your visa conditions may require a permanent offer to work in New Zealand. For all other situations temp, contracting or fixed term are good initial options to consider. Fixed term will see you on a salary, and provides the  security of a permanent employee for periods of 3 – 12 months. As a temp, you’re an employee of the agency and paid net after tax, along with being eligible for holiday, sick leave and other allowances. This arrangement is most common for roles up to $40-50 per hour. Beyond that, it is more common to be an independent contractor, meaning you invoice for your time and manage your own taxes. However, if it’s easier as a short term option, you can often choose to remain as a temp regardless of hourly rate. The agency will work with you to agree the best employment structure for your situation and the client’s needs.

Before Covid, roughly two thirds of our temp database and one third of our contractor database were on some sort of visa – working holiday, work or post study. Record unemployment, closed borders and a shift to the safe haven of permanent employment during lockdowns has made filling temporary positions even harder than permanent roles. Skilled immigrants or people on their OE in New Zealand on temporary visa’s are in a great position in the coming months for this reason. It’s also a great way to understand the local market without committing to a role long term, alongside gaining some local experience too.

The Specialist vs Generalist

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One of the biggest changes acknowledged by those moving here from larger cities is the more generalist nature of roles. NZ has very few large corporates and positions tend to be far broader. If your experience is specialised you may find this an adjustment. Keep this in mind when writing your CV and selling yourself at interview for New Zealand based jobs.

Salary levels

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The record high net positive immigration flows pre Covid helped to artificially suppress salaries. With 2 years of closed borders the skill shortage has bitten hard, and together with soaring living costs, has seen wage inflation rise faster than I’ve ever seen it. Finally employers are willing to stretch on salary to secure the best talent.

That being said, NZ salary levels lag many OECD markets so moving here is almost always going to be a lifestyle rather than financial choice – and a lovely lifestyle at that!

A good recruiter (see below) should easily be able to offer feedback on your NZ market rate, and if you’re still not sure, ask around. It pays to understand this before you’re offered a role.

Location and flexible working conditions

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If you’re targeting jobs in Auckland, it remains massively under funded in infrastructure versus cities of similar size. Therefore you cannot rely on public transport outside of main arterial routes. The Auckland commute is getting harder, not helped by rising fuel prices. There is a number of Aucklanders relocating out of the city for this reason.

This exodos of talent from Auckland, the Covid restrictions and improving uptake of cloud based computer applications, has also accelerated the trend to remote and flexible working across New Zealand. It’s now common to have up to 2 WFH (work from home) days weekly, plus glide time, which will help ease the commute pain. Some more progressive organisations are now offering permanent remote working for some professional roles, allowing you to work anywhere in New Zealand. This is far more common in corporates with multiple offices, so you can still connect with staff locally more easily.

Partnering with Recruiters

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The recruitment industry is not regulated and has very low barriers to entry. It is therefore highly fragmented, with a wide range in quality. High staff turnover further exasperates job seekers, with transactional relationships with employers leading to poor job briefs, vague advertisments and a lack of functional knowledge. We get it...it can be bloody frustrating!

All that being said, we’d like to think there is a core of highly professional, tenured consultants who are experts, and appreciate the importance of relationships, with both the employer and job seeker. You’ll find them by calling the author of relevant and well written ads, referrals and having patience. I recommend trying to call the recruiter behind a job advert in New Zealand when you can. You’ll more easily be able to stand out as an applicant, and assess their approach and knowledge. Don’t let your CV do all of the work, a conversation is far more compelling. The industry can be very relationship driven, you just have to find the right consultant(s).

When contacting a recruiter ask:

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1.      for feedback on your CV and initial interview,

2.      how often they have roles available that suit your skills and brief,

3.      which clients they could approach for you and which they cannot,

4.      how, and how often, you should both check-in.

These 4 questions will flush out the pretenders and accelerate your relationship with the rest. Intime, focus on building an ongoing relationship with 2-3 recruiters you rate. It’s not uncommon for these recruiters to place a candidate more than once in their career and they can be a excellent source of knowledge on the market, your worth and a career sounding board well after you secure employment.

It’s who you know, not just what you know

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Beyond the ability to build an enduring relationship with your recruiter, the NZ market size and psyche means investing in a professional network is more important here, and I mean face to face, not just LinkedIn. Kiwis prefer to buy off people they know so building and investing in these relationships will serve you well, long after you’re hired. Kiwi’s also have a reputation of being friendly, yet difficult to crack socially. So avoid the temptation of sticking ‘with your own’ and keep working to extend your local connections.

Lived and worked in NZ before? Reach back out to previous colleagues or friends before your arrival. Here’s three lines of questioning when ‘working’ your network for your next role:

1.      What business challenges are you facing just now?

2.      What feedback could you give me on my CV?

3.      Who else do you think it’s worth me connecting with?

Immigration for visa holders

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We don’t pretend to be immigration experts and are not licensed to provide advice. If you are not a NZ citizen or resident then there can be good value in engaging an advisor to support a permanent move to NZ for work. Some industries, like construction and health care have targeted offshore talent for some years. However, New Zealand’s chronic labour shortage has seen other NZ hiring managers become more open minded to off shore based talent for many other positions now too.  

Despite the attitude shift, it still pays to understand the requirements for your particular visa, the expected timeframes, and exactly what you need from an employer. If it requires a job offer to relocate to NZ, start the the visa process well before you start your job search. Working Holiday and other short term visas will of course give you more open work rights. Unless the role is particularly senior or specialist, employers will still need to know you’ve done your homework and are committed to the move.

Unsure where to get advice on immigration? Reach out to us and we can point you in the right direction. On your way to or back to New Zealand and looking for employment? Visit our jobseeker page here to understand our specialist recruitment areas. If this is you then we should talk.

You can register here, or give us a call. It’s likely we can help, often before you board the plane.

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