Funeral director demand creates New Zealand immigration potential

Funeral directors in New Zealand are in short supply, which is having a detrimental effect on the industry. As funerals become more time-consuming, there is an increasing demand for more people to enter the sector, reports One News. While the Funeral Directors' Association of New Zealand (FDANZ) has said it hopes to attract former workers back into the industry, the demand is such that New Zealand immigration could be used as a route to bring skilled funeral directors from overseas to fill these positions.

Following a survey by the FDANZ, the association thinks getting people back into the industry who have since left is one way which the shortage can be solved. Neil Little, President of the FDANZ, elaborated on the situation, stating that in addition to the skills shortage there is high staff turnover. "The way things are going we will have too few experienced people to readily cope when the mortality escalation occurs," he told the website. The demand for funeral directors could be interpreted as indicative of a country-wide skills shortage, with other recent reports showing that a lack of workers in New Zealand's key industries was leading to a loss of productivity.

New Zealand needs skilled migrants: Anyone applying for a New Zealand visa should begin by taking the New Zealand Visa Bureau's online New Zealand visa assessment to see if they meet the basic legislative requirements.