Skill shortages in Oz & NZ

Hi again!

Great to see so many of you (9,210 altogether!) visiting us at our Opportunities Overseas Expos in London and Manchester last month, and at our Energy, Mining & Engineering expo in Aberdeen. There’s lots of great talent out there, and many of you who came along are now going through the recruitment process and getting ready for the next exciting step of your journey.

Next up, we’ll be bringing employers from NZ, Australia and Peru to Canada for the Energy, Mining & Engineering International Jobs Expo in May, so what better time to look at the areas of skill shortage, and find out just who’s in demand at the moment.

The Aussie mining boom
Everyone’s heard about the mining boom in Aussie, so it’s no surprise to find that main areas of skill shortage are connected to the mining and oil & gas sector. With a whopping US$229 billion (AU$232 billion) of committed gas projects in the pipeline, Australia has a critical shortage of experienced engineers, tradespeople and construction workers to staff up its raft of mega projects.

Calling all Senior Engineers!
Engineering shortages are biting especially hard, as major mining projects, including the massive AU$43 billion Gorgon project, exhaust the local labour supply. Australia’s national engineering body, Engineers Australia, has predicted that the country’s engineering workforce will need to double just to keep pace with the rapid development, so if you have engineering skills – especially at a senior level – you’ll be very much in demand!

Some of the roles that Aussie employers are recruiting for in Canada include well, reservoir & petroleum engineers; principal, civil, mechanical & process engineers; drilling supervisors; hydrologists; project directors and managers; health & safety managers and engineering managers.

Other energy/infrastructure specialists in demand include transmission line practitioners, waste water and water planning engineers,  site supervisors, environmental advisors and senior planners. 

Skill shortages in New Zealand
In New Zealand, the skills shortages may not be quite as intense, but the country’s growing energy sector is still short of skilled professionals, with mining specialists, engineers and geologists high on the list of those most in demand. The Christchurch rebuild is also putting the squeeze on the labour market, with engineers and skilled trades already in demand – a shortfall of up to 30,000 workers has already been forecast during the 10-20 year rebuild period.

Some of the roles that NZ employers are recruiting for at the Canada expos include mining, petroleum, geotechnical & field engineers; technical services and production superintendents; and exploration & mine geologists. Within the energy/power sector, there are roles for project engineers & managers, power system analysts, electrical network engineers, electricity asset managers, engineering analysts and substation design engineers.

Come & see us in Canada
So, if you’re in Canada, and you’re working in the oil & gas, energy, engineering or infrastructure sectors, come along and check out the jobs available in Oz & NZ (we’ll also have some jobs in Peru – again, mining-related roles including heavy diesel mechanics and truck operators!). 

We’ll be touching down in the three Canadian cities in 2012: Calgary (5-6 May) at the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre; Vancouver (9 May) at the Hyatt Regency and Edmonton (12-13 May) at the Mayfield Inn & Suites.

Where to book
You can find out more about companies attending and the roles being recruited for at:
www.workingin.com/eme

CALGARY | BOOK NOW
VANCOUVER | BOOK NOW
EDMONTON | BOOK NOW

Hope to see you there!

So how do you get a visa?

Kia Ora,

I want to start by thanking the thousands of people who read our blogs over the past week, almost 11,000 of you!  The response has been amazing and thanks for all the great questions and comments.  We would love to reply to all the comments but Jenny and I make sure we read every one.  Some of the comments ask the same question, so we will use your comments to help create future blogs.  Do let us know if there is any topic in particular you’d like to see on our blog and Jenny and I will do our best to include that in one of our posts.

Jenny’s blog about how to write a CV was hugely popular.  Please don’t send your CV’s to us. There is much more involved in the immigration process than sending your CV to an employer or recruiter. One of the most frequent comments we had was “How can I get a visa and can you help me?”  So in today’s blog I am going to give you some information to help you plan your move.

The visa and the job offer are obviously 2 very important factors to focus on when making the move.  But there is so much more involved.  One of the first things you need to do is get accurate answers to important these important questions:

• What type of visa’s am I eligible for?
• What are my employment prospects?
• Do I need a job offer to secure a visa or can I apply without a job offer?

You can only make an effective plan if you know the answers to these questions.

Other things you need to know:

• How much money will I need?
• How long will it take?

The answer is that every move is different. We help hundreds of people move to Australia and New Zealand each year and every application is unique.

Communication is crucial to the whole process.  English language ability is tested if English is not your first language and employers will want to know that you have excellent communication skills.  You may be able to move to New Zealand or Australia within a couple of months of securing a job offer but if you are applying for jobs now, are you ready to catch that plane and start work?

So, here is how Working In Visas help people make the journey:

• Complete our online migration map questionnaire, find out if you are eligible to migrate http://www.workingin-visa.com/visa-assessment/free/stage-1
• If eligible; you may be invited to talk to one of our experienced consultants who will answer all your questions and outline your migration options
• You will be assigned your own Migration Agent to manage your move and be given all the tools and support you need to search and apply for jobs
• Your visa application will be lodged so that it meets current Immigration Policy

Many applications are declined, simply because the migrant involved do not get accurate advice about their move, right at the start of the process.  Emigrating is one of the most life changing events you can undertake and so it is critical to make sure you make a plan.  If you are eligible to migrate and meet the immigration criteria then we may be able to help you.

On a lighter note it is Friday here in Auckland and we are just hours away from the highly anticipated Rugby World Cup 2011 Opening Ceremony!! I have my All Blacks shirt on and will be heading up to Parnell to watch New Zealand’s largest firework display and then off to watch the big game.  It makes me feel even luckier than usual to be able to live here right now – New Zealand as a whole has come alive, and with 90,000 international fans here to watch the rugby, the world really has come to play – It is fantastic!!  Check out the coverage if you get a chance it will also give you an insight into our culture http://www.tvnz.co.nz

Ka Kite (bye for now),

Paul