Trades surpass white-collar work visas

The number of approved work visas of trades workers surpassed professionals last year for the first time in a decade, immigration figures show.

Last year almost 13,000 trades workers and technicians were granted work visas, compared with about 11,000 whitecollar professionals.

According to industry group Civil Contractors New Zealand, the sector will need another 30,000 workers in two years’ time to keep up with demand.

Employers and Manufactures Association Kim Campbell said overseas tradespeople would be expected to continue to outnumber professionals over the next few years due to many sectors experiencing a skills shortage.

He said the construction sector was most exposed to the trend due to the construction boom driven by the housing shortage.

‘‘There’s been almost no innovation in the building and construction industry and we’re seeing companies catching up to years of underinvestment.’’

Immigration Minister Iain LeesGalloway said the skills shortage reflected a need for immigration policies to accommodate those businesses that needed skilled workers in the short term.

‘‘What this reflects is that the immigration system has to respond to contemporary needs, and the prime minister and I have been clear that where genuine skill shortage exists, businesses will get the workers they need.’’

Campbell said construction company Fu Wah wanting to bring up to 200 tradespeople from China to Auckland to build a hotel had become the method for hunting talent for many construction companies to get skilled labour fast.

‘‘In New Zealand things just take ridiculous amounts of time to do and cost a lot more money,’’ he said.

Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation chief executive Warwick Quinn said the risk with solely relying on skilled workers from overseas was that it could have significant consequences on the economy in the long term, with changes to immigration and greater demand for infrastructure.

Quinn said construction companies had also been slow to implement apprenticeship programmes to attract young, untrained workers.

Last year almost 13,000 trades workers and technicians were granted work visas, compared with about 11,000 professionals.