New Zealand Immigration – Construction Firms Struggle to Find Workers

The construction firms in New Zealand are facing severe labour shortage issues. According to the building industry representatives, this shortage will lead to an acute shortage in many trades since the industries in Auckland are going to suffer an unprecedented building boom.

The New Zealand Immigration Minister, Mr Michael Woodhouse said that the leaders of the construction industry have not registered the matter to ask the government in order to take effective measures. The government can fulfil this labour shortage in the construction industry by developing policies that will invite skilled workers for New Zealand immigration.

The skill list for the in-demand occupations is updated every program year. The construction industry has never demanded to add certain occupations to the skill list.

Woodhouse said that it is not that the employers in construction market are not allowed to hire a skilled worker or a labourer from international market but having a labour market assessment ensures that there is no one available in the Kiwi market that is eligible for the required job.

The labour market assessment criteria are defined so the employees work really hard to get their hands on the International Labour Market.

As per the leaders of the construction industry in Auckland, the pressure is getting more and more challenging with every passing day. Construction has always been treated as an unchartered territory in the industry. This has made the labour supply pressure as intense as it could have ever grown.

The Managing Director of Leighs Construction, Mr Anthony Leighs said that the construction industry is certainly going to need labourers and skilled workers from offshore to meet the demand.

40% of the employees in his company are already from the international labour market. It is surprising that no one has reported adding the construction industry on the shortage list.

David Kally, the head of Registered Master Builders Associates said that the ignorance of putting the construction industry in shortage list is not a fault at the New Zealand Immigration department’s end.

The immigration department is very cooperative. This delay is because of the people in The immigration department is very cooperative. This delay is because the people in the construction industry are not sure what they actually want.