Kia ora,

The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) has made changes to the under and oversupply lists in some regions following a quarterly review of where the labour shortages are in New Zealand. 

From 16 April 2021, Immigration New Zealand will use the updated lists to assess Essential Skills work visa applications that are paid below the median wage (currently $25.50 an hour) regardless of the date the application was submitted. 

You can check the undersupply and oversupply lists on the Work and Income website:   

In 2020, MSD created lists of occupations and regions where there is a clear over or undersupply of New Zealanders on Jobseeker Support.  

This helps to streamline the Skills Match Report process so employers can find out more easily if New Zealanders are available for jobs. 

More roles will be added to the undersupply lists in a number of regions. This means, for those roles, Skills Match Reports will not be needed with work visa applications that are paid below the median wage. Employers will still need to advertise their vacancies and demonstrate they have made genuine attempts to attract and recruit suitable New Zealanders. 

A small number of roles will move off the undersupply list, which means Skills Match Reports will be needed for those roles to support Essential Skills work visa applications.  

No roles will be added to the oversupply list for any region.

Several roles will be removed from the oversupply list for all regions and employers will need to provide a Skills Match Report for roles paid below the median wage, unless the role is on the undersupply list.

MSD has also changed the regional structure of the under and oversupply lists, so the regions now match well-established territorial local authority areas. Roles are listed by industry type as well as locations within an area to make it quicker and easier for employers to find the information relevant to their business and to identify which area they are in.

The Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) codes have been added for each role, to help employers identify whether they need a Skills Match Report.

Our website remains the best place for up-to-date information about the requirements for an Essential Skills visas.

Ngā mihi, 

Immigration New Zealand