Thousands of Filipinos and other migrant workers in New Zealand may lose their jobs as 44 job classifications have been stricken off the immigration's skills shortage list, Migrante New Zealand said Saturday. Migrante Aotearoa national coordinator Dennis Maga said New Zealand is no longer seeking migrants for a range of jobs including baker, bicycle mechanic, bricklayer, butcher, carpenter, crane (hoist or lif)t operator, dental assistant, drainlayer, motor mechanic, painter; decorator and paper hanger, swine farmer, plasterer, scaffolder, screen printer, senior shepherd, travel consultant and vehicle painter. Maga said the decision would affect temporary migrant workers seeking to renew their work permits. “Many came to fill the skill gaps when New Zealand needed them, and overnight they are no longer needed,” he said. He said Certified Builders Association president Richard Merrifield questioned the change in policy. “In the current economic climate, we may not have a shortage of skills in the building industry, but the reality is we do have a shortage of houses in New Zealand,” Maga quoted Merrifield as saying. “When the reality sinks in that we have to build these houses and build them fast, where on earth are we going to find the skills from again?” He said many skilled people had gone to Australia or left the industry through lack of work. He said the removal of these occupations did not mean employers could not recruit migrants – it would still be possible if the employer could demonstrate that there were no suitable New Zealanders available in that location to do the job. “The number of temporary migrant workers in New Zealand will still be dependent on employer's need,” he said. “What New Zealand is undergoing is not unique. We are in tune with the responses of other nations in confronting this crisis,” he added. He said many other countries have similar experiences and are changing their labor migration policy to give local workers first priority in labor markets.. “In this time of economic uncertainty, these types of occupations were prioritized for review to ensure opportunities for New Zealanders,” he said. Maga said Migrante would ask Immigration Minister Jonathan Coleman for interim permits to let skilled migrant workers find jobs outside of their skills and qualifications to keep them in New Zealand.
