Q: Have employers been consulted about these changes?
A: MSD maintains close contact with employers in the regions. MSD has become aware of the labour shortages in the Queenstown area and have filled many positions with New Zealand job seekers. However, the shortage has got to the point in some occupations that those roles need to be added to the undersupply list. This will make it easier for employers to hire migrants for these roles.
Q: Will INZ prioritise applications from Queenstown?
A: Applications that are assessed as being decision ready can normally be decided promptly following allocation to an immigration officer for assessment. Should there be any further documents or clarification as to the client, employer or role in question, then this may delay the allocation and/or processing in a more timely manner.
Q: What has MSD done to get New Zealanders into jobs in Queenstown?
A: The numbers of job seekers finding employment across both Ministry of Social Development’s Alexandra and Queenstown sites has been higher than expected. Many individuals are finding work within weeks of registering for the job seeker benefit. In the month of October for example, 98 registered job seekers in the Queenstown area found new employment.
MSD’s Queenstown and Alexandra sites have been working hard across numerous channels to address the labour shortage in the Queenstown Lakes District, including:
- working with local labour market firms to partner and support them with industry and contract-specific recruitment drives
- holding more client employment seminars to help prepare them for job searching
- sending job seekers referrals to Seasonal Solutions
- collaborating with growers and the horticulture and viticulture industry at meetings and job events
- engaging with hospitality industry employers
- undertaking recruitment campaigns, initiatives and role-funding
- supporting events like the council-led Queenstown Lakes District Council job fair (26 November) and organising the Otago Pop Up Job Shop in Dunedin (5 November), which brought together employers, recruitment agencies, training and education providers and attracted more than 500 job seekers
Q: Why is the Queenstown Lakes District Council area used?
A: This is a well-defined area that makes sense to employers and workers alike. The Queenstown Lakes District has also traditionally had a high migrant worker population.
Q: Which areas are covered by Queenstown Lakes District Council?
A: The area includes Queenstown, Arrowtown, Wanaka, Kingston, Glenorchy, Hawea and Wakatipu.
Q: How can an employer get an occupation added to the undersupply list in their area?
A: The lists of occupations on the over and undersupply framework are reviewed every three months. However, they can be reviewed sooner if there is a significant change to the labour market. The review will include analysis of regional data from MSD and INZ and any information received from industry.
Q: Will the under and oversupply lists change for other areas as well?
A: Not at this stage. Further changes could be made to the under and oversupply lists in the Queenstown area or in other parts of New Zealand if labour market conditions change and New Zealanders can’t be found for jobs.
The use of the over and undersupply framework will be reviewed in early 2021 and the ongoing need will be evaluated considering the labour market conditions at the time. |
