New Zealand rebuild brings migration

expat network

New Zealand rebuild brings migration

Employment in New Zealand increased 0.7% in the first quarter of 2015 – 3.3% over the year – with a knock-on effect in the migration figures.

Figures released in the country’s Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment’s May 2015 quarterly labour market report show that around a third of the annual growth in employment came from the construction industry.

An expanding economy is credited with bringing migration to the record high. New Zealand gained a net 56,300 permanent and long-term migrants in the year ending March 2015. There are opportunities for skilled migrants, especially in the Canterbury region on South Island where work rebuilding areas affected by the devastating earthquakes in Christchurch in 2011 will be ongoing for some years to come.

Auckland has also shown strong construction industry employment demand, with new housing projects predicted to more than double over the next decade, with a large number of civil projects including roads, electricity and water needed to support the developments.

Construction workers from the UK and Ireland are leading the way when it comes to moving to New Zealand. Employment growth and demand is strongest for highly-skilled occupations, including managers and professionals and skilled workers, with the list of skill shortages currently including carpenters, drain-layers, forepersons, engineers, surveyors and project managers.

The full list is available at skillshortages.immigration.govt.nz (link opens in new tab).

Immigration New Zealand’s national manager, marketing, settlement, protection and attractions, Greg Forsythe said: “Although the increasing jobs coming on the market are offered first to New Zealand residents there are many opportunities for overseas applicants looking to make New Zealand their home. The quality of life is superb, New Zealand is ranked as the number one country in the world to raise children in a clean, healthy environment where no place is more than 128km from the sea; the country is ranked the least corrupt country in the world and is listed 4th out of 162 countries in the Global Peace Index Survey.”

Source and Link: The Construction Index

Moving Abroad Checklist

Initial Considerations

Will your partner be travelling with you?

If so, what will they be giving up in your present home and will they be able to continue with their career in your new home? You will need to check whether a separate visa is required for your partner to work or if your visa gives that right. If they are unable to work you will need to decide on the effect on your finances and what alternatives are available to give a fulfilling life (home business, training, voluntary work).

Are you taking family with you?

Moving with family raises many exciting opportunities, but also can create challenges. The HSBC Expat Explorer survey indicates that expat kids can take six months to settle in to their new country (see article). Getting young or even older children to prepare to move and leave their friends and family behind can be a challenge and should be thought through.

The options for education is another area that needs to be thought through.

Moving your child to a new country with a different education system can be a great opportunity to broaden their experience, but if they are close to key exams the timing can make this inadvisable. If you do take your family with you, it is important to decide between joining the local school system or choosing an international school.

Where will you be living?

Whether you will be living in a house or apartment, furnished or unfurnished, these decisions will affect what you need to take with you. The time you are planning to live overseas will also affect whether you should leave your property at home empty, rent it out or sell it. See the article Sell, Store or Ship.