The Return of the Kiwi
There is a silver lining for New Zealand, as our position on the global stage secures the return of the Kiwi. Kiwis are coming home, with over one million predicted to return in the next ten years, and 24% of those in the next twelve months. They bring global skills and experience that without Covid19 would have likely stayed abroad.
Clients have a chance of a lifetime to secure returning talent.
This is an incredible opportunity for New Zealand, talent that we used to miss out on is now returning.
We are constantly talking to talent abroad and for the first eight months of 2020 the appetite to return was minimal – people were still hungry to travel, become more financially secure and gain greater experience. Within a few months, some of the most unusual in history, those conversations have quickly moved to returning to New Zealand for family reasons, global lockdowns and the challenging English winter looming.
The recent report by Kea Unleashing the Potential of our Returning Kiwis provides evidence to our increased activity from job seekers returning to New Zealand. For one of our key industries at Archway Recruitment – Construction and Engineering, nine percent of the Kiwis intending on returning are within the infrastructure sector. That is an additional 90,000 skilled Kiwis who will be seeking employment, with over 25,000 intending to make the move in the next 12 months.
With a notable increase in demand for civil and geotechnical engineers in the regions, many of the returning kiwis are taking this opportunity to secure fantastic jobs outside of major cities. Notable reasons that candidates are looking to the regions for work is challenging projects on offer and the promise of working for great organisations that offer great work life balance and flexibility. For example, in Hawkes Bay and Gisborne there is a high demand and significant pipeline for residential and commercial building projects and the local councils and NZTA are investing heavily in civil infrastructure. This is creating high demand for qualified engineers and construction staff.
Now is the time for clients and major projects to review their employment needs and scope talent requirements to secure the best job seekers coming home.
Whilst some kiwis may take a few months to return, ideal for longer term project planning. With Christmas around the corner, many have already secured flights and isolation hotels to secure their spot at the family Christmas dinner.
It’s an exciting time for the recruitment industry. Having a global talent pool available to our kiwi clients is a chance to connect the best, with the best.
Source: https://www.keanewzealand.com/returning-kiwis-opportunity/
