Research on migrant employment at Victoria

Research on migrant employment at Victoria University

If more skilled migrants are supposed to come to New Zealand, both - the migrants coming to New Zealand as well as the potential employers of the skilled migrants - need to be prepared and informed about what to expect. There is the danger of creating wrong expectations about how easy it is to find employment.

Victoria's Centre for Applied Cross-cultural Research and the Wellington Regional Chamber of Commerce are working together on research ‘Facilitating Migrants’ Entry and Integration into the New Zealand Workplace’. Dr Astrid Podsiadlowski is leading the research project –– research findings are available here http://www.vuw.ac.nz/cacr/research/facilitating-migrantscom.aspx

Dr Podsiadlowski will be available for interview on (04) 463-6037 until 1.30pm and afterwards on (04) 463-7491.

Some points she would be happy to discuss with journalists include:

- There are a significant number of well qualified, highly motivated migrants looking for work.

- Skilled migrants are needed but their qualifications also need to match the employers’ needs.

- There is a high degree of underemployment due to employers’ unwillingness to employ migrants - language difficulties and lack of NZ experience are stated as the main reasons.

- The organisations that employ migrants are very satisfied with their work (highly motivated and hardworking, positive attitudes and commitment). Other organisations need to learn from these positive examples.

- The onus is on the host culture (NZ) to become more multi-cultural in its outlook and be prepared for the increasing diversity.

- Dr Podsiadlowski will be developing training and information for migrant job seekers so that they are better prepared for the NZ work culture, and for employers on how to prepare and manage a multi-cultural workplace so that migrants are able to settle, and cooperation can be productive and satisfactory for all people involved.

ENDS

www.vuw.ac.nz

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