Off shore Candidates/applicants we are able to assist. Please note following comments are only applicable to off shore migrants looking to move to NZ and assume you are in the country at the time of application. NZ based applicants with residency should speak directly with your recruiter.

Updated July 2010

The market is now improving.

Most candidates/applicants will find the New Zealand employment market more buoyant than in your home country. At the time of writing, New Zealand had an unemployment rate of 6% however unemployment is presently rising quickly and forecast to increase shortly. None the less in world terms, unemployment in New Zealand is still very low compared to other countries traditionally viewed as also being economically strong. At current date NZ has lower unemployment than Australia, England, or the USA and has held this enviable position for quite some time
Click here to view historical unemployment rates.

The following comments are a guide only and we do not take responsibility for the lack of employment should you not be able to locate a suitable vacancy. The comments are our opinion only and should not constitute the entire foundations of your decision to move to New Zealand.

Technical

Candidates employed in the area of technical skills are the easiest for us to assist. None the less caution should still be practiced. It should be considered prudent to work closely with your consultant at Automotive Employment NZ even given the improving market.

Sales

Vehicle Sales vacancies fluctuate: applicants need to be flexible as to location. You will need to be a top class sales person working in an authorised new vehicle dealership for us to help. You will need to be able to prove your skill.

A minimum of five years industry knowledge is generally required and a stable work history to accompany this.

It is likely you will be encouraged to liaise with our recommended immigration advisor. This link can be found of the support info/new migrants link of the home page.

Parts

Candidates without exception will require a minimum of five years specific parts experience. You will also have to meet a minimum guaranteed salary threshold. Close and regular communication with your recruiter at Automotive Employment NZ Ltd is mandatory for us to work with you. You will also be encouraged to work with our recommended immigration advisor.

Administration and technical support positions

Service advisors, warranty claims administrators, controllers etc are all candidates we can assist provided your background is technical and you hold a recognised motor industry trade qualification. Close and regular communication with your recruiter at Automotive Employment NZ Ltd is required as this market is changing presently. Non technical qualified administrators will find work hard to secure.

Positions with Automotive distributors

While New Zealand has a very small vehicle manufacturing sector, we do have representation of most manufacturers by way of distributorships. These are companies like Toyota, Holden [GM] Ford, Nissan, Honda, BMW, Mercedes Benz, Hino, Man, Scania, Cat, Hyundai etc to name a few. While positions in this sector can prove difficult to locate it is also true the candidates to fill these positions can prove a challenge to locate. In recent years Automotive Employment NZ has spent considerable time fostering these relationships. It will certainly prove difficult to locate these roles but we are doing our level best to be proactive.

Management positions

Automotive Employment NZ represents a good percentage of these vacancies in New Zealand. Gaining employment in this area is difficult but should you be fortunate enough to do so, the current Immigration NZ processing is geared to the advantage of managers. If you get a job offer, it is therefore likely you may get a permit. The catch is you have to be here. It is not possible to secure such employment without meeting employers face to face.

General Managers/Dealer Principals

It will prove in difficult but not impossible for skilled candidates to secure positions in NZ and this can be further complicated by few of these vacancies emerging.

We would like to speak personally with GM's/DP's who wish to immigrate to NZ although stress in advance that securing these roles can be difficult.

It may take a humbling act of returning to a more junior position on your arrival to NZ in order to make yourself employable in NZ. It is our experience that many candidates are able to work their way back up the management ladder after gaining appropriate local experience. Gaining employment may be difficult but should you be fortunate enough to do so, the current Immigration NZ processing is geared to the advantage of managers. If you get a job offer, it is therefore likely you may get a permit.

For some applicants residency may not prove possible; without trying to discourage your aspirations to achieve residency in this country, below are some reasons that may complicate your plans or make them impossible to achieve. It is our view you are perhaps better forewarned for these eventualities.

Manufacturing and assembly industries

As New Zealand does not have vehicle manufacturing facilities of comparable size to off shore companies gaining employment in the production engineering sectors is almost impossible.

Candidates with excessive movement between jobs

It is not possible to help everyone. New Zealand employers are particularly hard on those with transient employment histories; as a guide if you have changed your employment four or five times in as many years it will prove difficult to secure employment in New Zealand unless there is sound reasons for this movement. The same could be said in any country however.

High risk countries

While we do our best to assist in these situations, if you are living in a country that Immigration New Zealand considers being a high risk in terms of potential for an over stay situations to occur, then it becomes difficult for us to gain the appropriate permits on your behalf through our licensed immigration advisor.

Comparable experience

To gain offers of employment candidates require comparable experience if applying through our consultancy. This means the skills are equivalent to what a New Zealand skilled migrant possesses. Many developing countries have a much older vehicle fleet than in New Zealand. If you live in a country where English is a second language and the vehicles and equipment on your roads differ substantially to the modern New Zealand fleet then it may be difficult for us to help even given our desire to assist.

Language difficulties

In New Zealand if you cannot speak fluent English you are unlikely to secure employment in your chosen area of the motor industry. For candidates employed in the technical areas of industry this is especially important and becomes a health and safety issue.

Candidates from third world countries and countries that have major corruption problems

As helpful as New Zealanders are by nature, it is virtually impossible to place candidates from developing nations under the skilled migrant category. This is not because we do not want to help; it is because the employers need skills that are equivalent to the New Zealand standard and most developing nations have older vehicle fleets. We try and try and try and will keep trying, but to date we have found this an impossible task.

Age

While it is not legal to discriminate against age in New Zealand we have noted it can be more difficult to place candidates from the early to mid 50's onwards. Notwithstanding this is the fact we have none the less placed many applicants in this age bracket in employment. A lot will depend on your outlook and skills. If you are seeking a country to retire to you will find employers tend to steer away from such candidates. The converse applies in that if you are very much looking to better yourself in your employment or have committed to numerous years of employment ahead then employers seem open to these applications and more so than most countries.

There is an exception to this rule and that is that this applies only to the skilled migrant; at least currently. So if the skilled migrant is 55 and the skilled migrant's partner is older than 55, then the good news is you are currently exempt from this rule. One recent case was a vehicle salesperson whose wife was a nurse. He was able to gain a permit on the back of his wife's skills and now has residency. I might add with his positive attitude to life he has not only secured employment but gone onto secure a more senior role as a group training manager. Please check with our recommended immigration adviser to ensure the guide of 55 years of age has not changed between posting this information and any potential changes to NZ Immigr4ation rules.

It is not impossible to locate employment as you mature in NZ. A very positive factor to consider for the more mature is that New Zealanders are far more accepting of mature age workers than virtually any other country we have had commercial dealings with. Recent media reports about early age workers and school leavers appear to have assisted the more mature among us. None the less if you are only just applying now and you are 56 and the principal skilled migrant I cannot think of a way through the immigration process .