03 December 2007

Higher salaries but tight labour market continues in New Zealand

Both the private and public sector are enjoying healthy pay rises in New Zealand but the labour market remained very tight in November, according to the latest survey. The country continues to actively seek skilled workers to apply for New Zealand immigration.

The Market Issues Survey by consulting services firm Mercer showed that salary increases averaged 5.2 per cent this year, including 5.3 per cent for professionals, 5.6 per cent in management and five per cent for executives.

The engineering and marketing sectors saw significant increases in salary, at 7.4 per cent and 8.7 per cent respectively. The private sector was more generous than the government sector, with pay packets up 6.3 per cent compared to 4.8 per cent.

"The labour market squeeze is worsening at the same time as business confidence increases," said Martin Turner, a principal at Mercer. "There is a widening gap between the level of capability required to meet business objectives, and the people who are available in the job market," he added.

New Zealand needs skilled workers: anyone interested in New Zealand immigration should complete the New Zealand Visa Bureau's online New Zealand visa assessment to see if they qualify for a New Zealand visa.