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Aims Global hosts immigration centric forum post New Zealand Election.
The panel was stacked with influential industry voices, when Aims Global put immigration in the spotlight at a post-election forum, last November.
Aims Global Director, Arunima Dhingra, RCSA Council Chairperson, Jon Ives, CEO of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, Simon Bridges and Brosnan Group HR Manager, Wendy Baker joined forces to discuss potential pathways to a nationwide sustainable solution to immigration.
The content was specifically designed to inform employers, HR managers and recruiters about the current and potential future status of New Zealand’s Immigration system.
Over the past year, the panellists observed a constantly changing immigration landscape, one that was fuelled uncertainty and anxiety in both business and recruitment organisations. They noted that the former Government had been reactive to issues, rather than proactive.
“When the elections were announced, recruitment and hiring slowed right down, says Aims Director Arunima Dhingra.
“This affected business confidence, which was already fragile as a result of other external factors like global uncertainty, geopolitical issues, a recession like environment and the cost of construction and labour. This affected decision making for both employers and migrants during 2023.”
It was a turbulent year. Post Covid 19 when the flow of immigration resumed, many employers began hiring in large numbers. Some sectors went from big demand to no supply of talent or too much talent, and employers were forced to re-assess workforce strategies by focusing on talent retention and redundancies.
“Recruiters have been forced to walk a fine line between predicting what the future needs of an employer might be while at the same time holding back a little to see how the things progress, explains Arunima.
“Brand New Zealand is still rebuilding post pandemic and has a long way to go. Reducing processing delays from Immigration New Zealand could go a long way to improving Aotearoa’s image and its appeal to migrants.”
Key points raised:
- The Green List and Sector Agreements have created straightforward residence pathways which didn’t exist before and can be advantageous for employers. Unfortunately, many recruiters and employers are still unaware of the benefits brought by the current immigration framework and policies.
- New Zealand needs something to address the temporary need for certain skills. Many of these roles don’t need degrees, but rather vocational qualifications with years of associated experience, such as plumbers and carpenters. Migrants with these qualifications are often held up due to lengthy conversion processes, bureaucracy, and existing residence pathways being heavily qualification focused.
- Tertiary education will become a bigger gateway for migrants to enter New Zealand, train in new skills or upskill and join the Kiwi workforce.
- Auckland remains the main destination of choice for many migrants. Interest in Christchurch is steadily growing and a region-specific visa with residence pathways could see talented and skilled migrants moving to New Zealand, while reducing the pressure on Auckland.
- Immigration will continue evolving before it becomes a sustainable pathway for skilled workers to enter and remain in New Zealand.
Worker Exploitation
Unfortunately, there were some abhorrent cases of worker exploitation highlighted in the media last year. The panellists highlighted the importance of showcasing good Kiwi employers so that migrants can be confident and secure in choosing New Zealand as their destination.
“We really encourage employers to share best practices with the rest of the community. We can be stronger together and need to keep each other mutually accountable. It’s about highlighting positive work environments and workplace cultures centred around well-being,” says Arunima.
It’s only early days for the new Government but the panel expressed a sense of optimism for 2024 and beyond.
“We may have a wish list that is a mile long, but it is important we keep realistic expectations from the new government as the coalition agreement specifies the extent to which immigration policies may change and shift, explains Arunima.
“Watch this space.”