The Future of Work: Skill Shortages New Zealand

If you’re looking for employment in New Zealand, there are a number of fantastic opportunities available, and none more so than the skill shortages list, which outlines which jobs and careers are in demand in New Zealand.

If you’re a migrant or a refugee whose work falls into one of the categories, you may be able to get a visa much more easily.

The list outlines all of the jobs and careers which New Zealand employers are struggling to fill or find qualified candidates for. The list is updated every year by the government in New Zealand, and aims to assist New Zealand’s prosperity by supplying employers with the workers they need. There are in fact three lists set out by the NZ govt: the canterbury skill shortage list, the immediate skill shortage list and the long term skill shortage list.

In 2010 and 2011, there were a number of earthquakes in the Canterbury region. Since those earthquakes, there are a number of jobs in critically short supply, in order to rebuild the area. Many of these jobs are trade or construction based. If your job appears on this list and you can find a job, then you may be granted an essential skills work visa. Jobs on the list include:

the immediate skill shortage list contains jobs that need to be filled immediately and there are no New Zealand Residents or citizens available to fill the position. If you find a job and your position is on this list, you may get a faster application process for a work visa. Jobs on the list include:

This list aims to address skill shortages that have been that way for a sustained period of time, both globally and locally. If you qualify for one of the jobs on this list and have a position to go to, then you’ve hit the immigration jackpot – you may be granted a work to residence visa that will lead to your being able to stay in new zealand permanently. Jobs that qualify for long term skill shortages NZ 2108 include:

The ANZSCO stands for the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations, and sets out guidelines for what industries are, covering all legal jobs in Australia and New Zealand. They set out skill levels – a way of measuring how great the range and complexity of tasks are that are involved in an occupation. For a job to be considered for the skill shortages list, it must fall into skill level 1, 2, or 3. So, before trawling the lists looking to see if your job is on there, find out what skill level your job comes under.

Generally the jobs that are needed fall into two categories: scholarly or traders.
Roles such as a physiotherapist or veterinarian obviously require study at university and further, but many of the trades do not require as intensive study.

There are a huge number of jobs set out by the government in New Zealand on the three skills shortages list that aim to assist in immigration and address where there are skill shortages in the country.

If you’re interested in moving to New Zealand, make sure to consider the skill shortages list to see if you can speed the process up and get there faster!