Skilled Migrants and
Regional Support Activities
Wellington Employment
Workshop
11 April 2013
Why Wellington attracts
migrants:
• Unique physical and social qualities
• Geographical compactness
• Family connections
PLUS
• Success in securing work in Wellington
• by chance!
Skilled Migrant Trends
The share of skilled migrants coming to
Wellington has declined since 2008.
Employment Projections
Wellington’s job growth is forecast to be modest over
the 2013 and 2014 March years but is expected to
recover somewhat during the 2015 March year.
Immigration New Zealand focus:
Attracting and retaining the skills NZ needs
• finding people with the right skills to meet NZ’s
skill gap needs
• Identifying pressure points and designing
interventions aimed at keeping skilled migrants
here
• supporting employers to locate & retain the skills
their business need to grow
Employers are also our customers
– the Migration Pathway
INZ Attraction
& Retention
Tasks
INTEREST
ENQUIRE
SELL
Convert Interest In
NZ Into Enquiries
Migrant
Needs
Employer
Needs
APPLY
SIGN-UP
Convert Enquiries
Into Applications
ASSESS &
DECIDE
STREAM
Channel Applications
into Assessment
TRAVEL
SIGNAL
Confirm Decision to
allow to Travel or
Stay
STAY
SETTLE
Guide Arrivals into
Settlement
Emotionally-led
Inspiration
Job and living
opportunities
Connections
Multiple countries
compared
Practical information
Answers
Reassurance for
all the family
Clear direction
for process
Information clarity &
ease
Confidence
Clear direction
for process
Speed
Transparency
of steps
No problems
with medical or
registration
A clear date to
organise around
Feeling welcome
to NZ
Facilitated at
border
Settle in quickly
Reinforcement
Feel ‘at home’
Overcome
set-backs
Encouragement
Access to
prospects
Support to
promote coming
to NZ
Process clarity
Connection to
prospects
Support to
promote coming
to NZ
Information
Clarity & ease
Confidence
Ability to support
applicant
Speed
Transparency
of steps
No problems
with medical or
registration
A clear date to
organise around
Facilitated at
border
Employee
settles in quickly
and delivers
professionally
Support to help
acclimatisation
Individuals can enter at different stages depending on the market, segment and visa category
Identifying the challenges and
responding to employers’ needs
Department of Labour Employers’ Survey 2012
• 87% of employers rated migrant employees as good
or very good
• Challenges – 43% identified language difficulties
• 39% identified cultural difficulties
Recent Wellington Employer
Feedback
• Attracting skilled migrants was viewed as less of a
focus than previously, due to changed economic
environment
• Hiring migrants was perceived as a challenge,
particularly due to differences in communication
styles
The challenge of ‘style’ at work
• Diverse workforces can be a challenge and we know
that employers can struggle to get the best out of
migrant staff
• Research underpins the challenge – people work
differently and manage staff differently
• Most employers are busy people and they do not
have time to become inter-cultural experts
• Employers say they want “quick tips” & “checklists”
– to get to solutions without in depth understanding
When it comes to migrant skill
retention: employers matter
• Settling/integrating is a two-way process, for new
migrants and for the host community
• The workplace is the key context for migrant
interactions in their new country – where migrants
must interact with fellow workers and managers
• Employers need to understand the challenges
migrant workers face not only in the workplace, but
also outside of work that may impact on their new
staff member’s performance, or retention
Support for Wellington Region’s
employers
INZ works through channels to reach employers
and provide support locally
Local information and advice
Wellington Region’s Settlement Support Co-ordinators
•
•
•
•
Wellington: Marilen Mariano, marilen.mariano@wcc.govt.nz
Hutt City: Vesna West, vesna.West@huttcity.govt.nz
Upper Hutt: Cecilia Titulaer, settlement@uhcc.govt.nz
Porirua: Annette Woods, AWOODS@pcc.govt.nz
WECC Skilled Newcomers Programme
• Kirstie Talbot, kirstie.talbot@businesscental.org.nz
Wellington Volunteer Centre
• Pauline Harper, vw@volunteerwellington.org.nz
www.ssnz.govt.nz