Finding a job in New Zealand

Whether or not you want to work in your field of expertise, it’s important to find out about the job opportunities available in New Zealand (at least, if you’re planning to do paid work during your WHV).

The unemployment rate is fairly low in New Zealand, having hovered around 4% for many years. However, there are many different aspects to this rate, as unemployment among the under-25s, for example, is much higher (around 10%).

New Zealand currently needs a fairly large number of migrants. Some employers are having difficulty finding specific qualifications among workers already in New Zealand. However, some professions are also completely filled. Moving to New Zealand to work in one of these professions may not be the best idea.

To find out more about the job market in New Zealand, the government has set up an extremely well-designed site to help you see things more clearly: Careers.govt.nz. The site has a job database of over 400 professions in all sectors of activity. It’s an excellent tool for finding out about the professions that interest you. You can search the various sectors to find your profession. The entire site is in English so make sure you use the correct translation. If your job (or the one closest to it) is on the list of professions presented, you have a gold mine of information at your fingertips!

• A summary of the occupation that tells you the hourly or annual salary that you can obtain (for a full-time job), the number of people working in the same occupation and a brief assessment of the job opportunities in the occupation (rather bad, average or rather good).
• A section devoted to the job (“About the job”) containing information about the profession (what qualities are required, what conditions will you be working under, testimonials, etc.).
• The “How to enter the job” section, where you can find the prerequisites for working in the field and the minimum level of education. This is also where you can check whether your profession is regulated or requires specific qualifications. This section is particularly useful for drawing up your CV and understanding what potential employers are looking for in New Zealand (in the Personal requirements section).
• Finally, the last section (job opportunities) gives an overview of job opportunities in the sector over the medium to long term. This page also contains a list of the latest job offers published on Trade Me that correspond more or less to your chosen profession. This section also lists websites that may be useful in your job search.

The CareersNZ website is therefore an excellent starting point for finding all the information you need about the profession you are considering in New Zealand. The links contained on the various job pages will enable you to obtain additional information and even find the names of companies recruiting in your field of activity.

You can also look at the professional associations in the various sectors. It’s impossible for us to list them all, but a quick Google search using the name of the industry followed by “association New Zealand” should lead you to the main trade associations that can provide you with information. There are also a few links further down in this dossier.

Is it necessary to look for a job from your home country?

Most employers will want to meet you in person and make sure that you have all the authorisations they need to work legally for them. Very few employers want to take any immigration steps without knowing whether you are actually qualified. Being on site allows you to prove immediately that you can work legally.

You can, of course, contact companies a few weeks before you leave (for example, those that have vacancies shortly after your arrival). However, don’t contact them too far in advance. More often than not, employers need someone quickly, and if you contact them 6 months before you arrive, the only response you’ll get (if you get one) will probably be a message inviting you to contact them again once you’re there.

Do you work for an international group back home?

Why not find out what job opportunities you might find in New Zealand. Of course, this only applies to a small minority of working holiday makers, but you can try to get information about your company’s activities in New Zealand.

There is often little communication between the different branches around the world, but if you are targeting a specific job in your field in New Zealand, you can try to get the necessary recommendations from the same company in your home country.