Must-Read Employee Rights in New Zealand before Working Abroad
There’s more to New Zealand than what meets the eye. The country’s thriving economy offers opportunities for skilled workers and continues to benefit Overseas Filipino Workers. New Zealand also provides a welcoming population to migrants, vibrant culture, and, quite literally, greener pastures with stunning sceneries.
The New Zealand government supports migrant employment because migrants bring a new perspective to businesses, foster a more diverse workforce, enrich workplace culture, and aid in expanding international knowledge and contacts. Hiring in New Zealand usually utilizes recruitment companies to find suitable employees for specific roles.
Migrant Workers in New Zealand
In 2014, the NZ government launched the Migrant Settlement and Integration Strategy as its streamlined approach to effectively settle and integrate migrants in the country. The strategy is anchored on five key outcome areas to support employment rights in NZ: employment, education and training, English language, inclusion, and health and wellbeing.
As per the NZ government, well-supported migrants:
● Settle and feel included faster
● Stay longer in New Zealand
● Help create a strong and vibrant community
● Help boost regional growth and wellbeing
● Find it easier to participate in and contribute to economic, civic, and social life
Employee Rights in New Zealand
New Zealand employee rights are fair to all workers. Migrants have the same minimum employment rights as all other employees under the law. These entitlements are designed to make workplaces safer and upright for everyone.
Minimum employee rights in NZ include:
● Four weeks of paid annual holiday per year
● 11 public holidays per year
● Up to 52 weeks of parental leave
● Five days of paid sick leave per year after the first six months and another 15 days can be carried over to a maximum of 20 days
● Three days’ paid bereavement leave for certain family members, one day for non-family members
● Rest and meal breaks must be provided or compensated for
● All Rest breaks should be paid
● Relevant minimum wage paid
● Overtime paid at minimum wage on a per-hour basis
● Payment of wages to be made in cash
● Unpaid leave while on jury duty
Employers who fail to comply with minimum employment standards can be penalized by the Employment Relations Authority. These breaches can be up to NZ$50,000 for individuals and more than NZ$10,000 for companies. In cases of migrant exploitation, you can reach Immigration New Zealand and Employment New Zealand for assistance.
Tips for Filipino Workers in New Zealand
Since the late 1990s, Filipino nurses arriving in New Zealand have grown. Jobs in dairy farms have also allowed OFWs to find and be recruited in New Zealand.
New Zealand’s stable economy continues to create more jobs in general. New Zealand’s aging population means many new positions can be filled by people coming to the country from overseas.
Most job openings for skilled workers will be in sectors of accommodation and food services, business services, construction, or retail trade. Transport and logistics, as well as non-farm manufacturing sectors, are also expected to create more jobs.
Here are some tips for those seeking to work in NZ:
● Determine which visa meets your needs
New Zealand offers different visa types, and an idea of what you qualify for can help you move to the next step. There’s the skilled migrant residence visa, a general work permit for workers who meet the requirements to work in New Zealand without a job offer. The accredited employer work visa is the best suited for those with a job offer.
The country also offers partnership work visas and talent work visas in some cases. You can apply for a working holiday visa if you want to work in New Zealand while traveling around the country.
● Polish up your resume
They call it curriculum vitae or CV in New Zealand. Try to make your CV NZ-friendly by keeping it short but concise. It’s also uncommon on NZ resumes to include your headshot. Most importantly, make sure your international contact lines are accurate. Add international dial codes when necessary. Most NZ employers also ask for at least two references, so have them ready in the case and give those references a heads up that you will be listing them.
● Work with a trusted manpower agency
The entire process of hiring in New Zealand can be a bit challenging. A good staffing agency builds a solid foundation with overseas partners and helps them save time, effort, and money during the hiring process. A trusted manpower agency like Staffhouse International Resources ensures that Filipinos seeking jobs overseas find the most suitable employment that fits their qualifications.
Tips for Employers in New Zealand on Hiring Filipino Talents
● Specify your job post needs
The first step in finding skilled staff overseas is defining the job positions and skill requirements that you’ll need. Since majority of the recruitment process might happen online or through the help of a trusted recruitment agency, having a well-defined job description will come handy. This will also avoid further job role confusion and job mismatch.
● Partner with an accredited recruitment agency
Since there are laws that encompass hiring Filipino workers for jobs abroad, it’s best to work with accredited manpower agencies that will surely follow the standards of recruitment. Staffhouse International Resources provides top-notch recruitment services for global companies, such as New Zealand. Staffhouse has deployed over 25,000 Filipino workers to the Middle East, Africa, North America, Asia, and Oceania.
Staffhouse: Recruitment Agency for New Zealand
Hiring overseas workers is a significant investment for employers. That’s why a legit and trusted recruitment firm is essential for any company’s operations.
Staffhouse is licensed by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) or the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and has been bringing its commitment to finding suitable overseas employment to Filipinos since 1999. The firm has been sending qualified Filipino skilled workers and professionals to countries across six out of seven continents in the world.
New Zealanders have a great work ethic, and Staffhouse’s international resources can help Filipinos land jobs in many sectors of the country, including healthcare, agriculture, engineering, logistics, and even retail. Staffhouse has long-standing partnership experience with foreign placement agencies in NZ, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, Japan, and the Middle East.
Staffhouse is committed to providing Filipino talent with the best employment opportunities in the global labour market. Contact us to learn more about how we can help you. You can also email us at info@staffhouse.com or call us at +632-8913-3333.
