Whilst New Zealand’s economy is growing, the job market does remain competitive. New Zealand has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the world and is experiencing immediate and long term skills shortages in various areas of employment. This is currently a problem for all countries of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). New Zealand is therefore very keen to attract highly skilled workers. New Zealand Minister of Immigration, Hon David Cunliffe, was recorded in the Immigration Practitioners Bulletin, (2006, p.58) as saying “New Zealand is currently facing acute skills shortages and thirty percent of businesses state that their most pressing concern is skill shortages”.
New Zealand’s economy has seen steady growth over the last five years, low unemployment, more people in jobs than ever before, reductions in crime and poverty, however the economy is heavily reliant on attracting skilled workers, investors and entrepreneurs to its shores in order to maintain current economic growth and development.
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