The NZ Economy and Local Markets Remain Resilient

I had the great pleasure of meeting a Client face-to-face and his wonderful wife. We had coffee here in Nelson earlier this week and considered his status – top manager in ICT, can do everything with networks – setting them up, planning, implementing, training anyone to do any part of them, keeping control over the critical points to ensure it stays working and of course great client interface and business development experience. He is an “all-rounder” as they say here.

Even Competitive NZ Job Markets Need Top End Foreign Skills:

ICT Management roles are competitive in NZ. However, if you really excel at something, then you have very few competitors. There will always be plenty of ICT applicants that are local but can they perform on the level of the foreign job applicant? Employers want to get the best person for the job.

People are saying that the job market is bad. I disagree. Yes, it is slower. However, my Client has gotten a job offer during this Covid-19 crisis and he is in a competitive industry where foreigners typically struggle, even before all this happened.

The situation with the job market today is simple: I see a slower than normal job offer flow rate, and that is all. Nothing else changed so far. The same roles that were attractive to local employers prior to Covid are also attractive now, with a few notable exceptions, for example in travel and tourism, chefs, pilots, etc… Hopefully people in those areas of struggle can upskill or find lateral positions in other industries where their skills directly apply.

The Resilient NZ Economy:

We produce a lot of products made by our soil, sea and sun. And we consume very little of what we produce. So that means that we export a lot of food and wood to the hungry northern hemisphere. These are mostly staple products that all people need to live. We have slowdowns but we never have zero demand for food exports. NZ is lucky to have so much abundance in food, forest and hydroelectric power. This means, even in difficult times, we are exporting and we are living. If exports slow down, we can easily slow down our consumption of imports and still be OK.

When a crisis hits the world, the northern hemisphere still has to eat and we have plenty of food. Our wood is used in many segments of the construction industry. I don’t see demand falling off for long on NZ products of export. This translates to more stability than most other countries dream about.

Here are the scenarios, in a nutshell: When an economic boom hits the world, NZ does OK economically. Not as well as a New Yorker or a Londoner or a Dubai worker perhaps, but who wants that lifestyle that of the rich and stressed? When a crash hits the world, NZ still does OK. I see all this making sense for staying positive on the goal of living a good life in NZ under a rainbow of different possible scenarios long term.

Local Demand for Skilled Foreign Workers Still Exists:

I want to address the feeling of doom and discouragement that job applicants feel with a recent example. This week I was assisting a diesel mechanic. As I was talking to local diesel mechanic employers, I have seen a big demand and some active interest. So as a result, my Client is able to set up meeting targets prior to his visit. This brings him confidence and progress. He will be among the first wave of job seekers to return to NZ and he will land with meeting targets already established. And this is all being done in the worst economy in human history. I understand things might get worse, but for this particular Client, he already is 100% committed to New Zealand as a place of residence. So for him, the timing of the border is not under his control so he is managing what is under his control. And many of you reading this would also feel the same, and the same things can be done for you.

If you are in that category and need help getting results with hiring managers prior to your eventual visit, I can easily be found at tate@employmentforimmigration.nz – just send your CV, any questions you have, and a bit about your current status. I will answer everyone within a day most of the time, even on weekends.

If you are a current Client who has been on hold due to the lockdown and you are wanting to start things back up again, this is a good time to make contact with the market. When we let the market speak, we risk nothing and we learn much every time. Let me know if you need any support. You get priority with me.

Blessings all!