Article written by Renee Reichmuth, Principal Consultant at X4 Construction.
In a bid to increase the New Zealand labour force, the Government is proposing a dedicated Kiwibuild skills shortage list to help manage the promised project of building 100,000 houses.
The list will signal regional shortages and is a step in the right direction to increase interest in working in the New Zealand construction market. New Zealand is approximately short of 30,000 construction workers so a dedicated shortage list is important in reducing the shortage and to help deal with the pipeline of construction projects that are currently in need of skilled workers.
The Government will make it easier for construction companies to hire migrant workers, after admitting there is a risk of KiwiBuild cost blowouts if nothing changes, however any company looking to hire overseas workers will have to be accredited. This will reduce the risk of worker exploitation, Lees-Galloway says.
