In an announcement confirming
the changes to temporary work visas, the Minister of Immigration, Hon. Michael
Woodhouse has responded to calls by industry and employers to have more
flexibility to find the staff they need in their respective sectors.
“I think there has been a
very clear call from business saying that in such a tight market as this, they
need to have the ability to find workers. Today’s announcement from Government
is sensible and practical in how it addresses pressure points in the mid-level salary
range,” says Kim Campbell, CEO, EMA.
“We keep hearing of the
skills shortage in the service sector and today’s confirmation of a mid-skilled
remuneration band for temporary work visas does address this.”
Mr Campbell says with a
deepening skills shortage the Government must continue to look for at a range
of options to address the issue.
“Immigration is part of the
solution. It goes hand-in-hand with how we educate and develop Kiwis. From
embarking on your first job through to managing your career through different
ages and stages, we need to ensure we have capable workers,” says Mr Campbell.
The skills shortage continues.
In the EMA Employers Survey 2015 67% of employers were finding it difficult to recruit
for skilled positions. A year later in the Employers Survey 2016 this had increased to 72%. Furthermore, employers are
struggling to recruit positions across all range of skills from fully qualified
professionals through to general labourers.