Which skills does New Zealand need?

The regular review of essential skills, which aims to ensure that the skills shortages here are met by appropriate migrants, is currently underway.

BY Rose Sneyd 15 Jul 2013

If you have a strong opinion on which skills New Zealand needs in the current economic climate, now is your chance to make a submission to Immigration New Zealand.

The regular review of essential skills, which aims to ensure that the skills shortages here are met by appropriately skilled migrants, is currently underway. Immigration New Zealand is now in the process of reviewing the long-term and immediate skill shortage lists.

“The lists help to ensure that New Zealand’s skills needs are met by facilitating the entry of appropriately skilled migrants to fill shortages. However, this objective must be balanced by the need to ensure that there are no suitably qualified New Zealand citizens or resident workers available to undertake the work,” the Ministry’s website states.

The Ministry has already selected the occupations to be reviewed and is now calling upon organisations to make submissions on these. The occupations to be reviewed this year include:

Aeroplane Pilot
Audiologist
Baker
Chef
Dietician
Dispensing Optician
Fitter and Turner
Hospital Pharmacist
Industrial Pharmacist
Retail Pharmacist
Internal Auditor
Medical Diagnostic Radiographer
Metal Fabricator
Midwife
Occupational Therapist
Osteopath
Physiotherapist
Registered Nurse
Special Education Teachers
Specialist Managers
Speech Language Therapist
Urban and Regional Planner

Immigration New Zealand is seeking submissions on the nature and extent of skills shortages in these occupations from industry stakeholders. The information that they provide is vital, especially where statistical data is out of date or unavailable because the occupational group is too small to generate sufficient data for national surveys. “Interested stakeholders are therefore strongly encouraged to collect robust evidence to support their submissions.”

Once this process is complete, there will be a wider sector consultation on occupations. During this process, the Ministry follows up with those who made submissions, consults with Government agencies and industry, and collates any other data that may be required to make decisions on the lists.