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Thread: Job stability & Future

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    SG
    Posts
    16

    Default Job stability & Future

    Hi!

    We are weighing the options to migrate NZ. I heard that it is difficult to find job in NZ specially for migrants. They prefer local. My fiancee field is IT and I'm in marketing. We are analysing for our future stability in NZ, it will be great if anyone can help us to clarify this:

    1> IT is highly demanded job in NZ. While we can get job in NZ now, will the company keep migrant workers for long or just as temporary until they can find local replacement?

    2> Immigration requires high skill point / qualified people for PR application, yet I hardly hear any migrant with managerial position or higher. We do hear that migrant has difficulty in career progression despite their skill (discrimination perhaps?). Can anyone clarify this?

    3> Can you still find comfortable job even when you are 40 or 50? Do companies see age as important factor? (I know age discrimination is not allowed by law, but how true is this?) Do you see many old people (specially non-local) recruited by big company or will they just end up as taxi driver / cleaner?

    Thank you so much for your help and sorry for being very blunt, but these are my concerns


    SB

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    New zealand
    Posts
    157

    Default

    Hi, It all depends on what sort of skill levels you have. ICT skill is on long term skills shortage list.
    1) You will be surprised the % composition of foreign born employees in most IT companies - more than 50%. Whether they will keep you long term depends on individuals.
    2) Not true. I have migrant friends in high positions in ICT companies
    3) If your skillsets are right match for the company, age is not a barrier.

    Be positive and have faith in yourself.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    SG
    Posts
    16

    Default

    Hi Larry. Thank you for the reply

    I am still uncertain about age. If we have 2 candidates, one is younger 20-30 yr old and another is 40-50 yr old; they will have the same chance to be employed?

    Since I hired many people before, I'll be honest that my previous company will choose younger worker, even though they have less skill and a little more to pay. We will be hesitant to employ 40 above or 50 years old unless they are manager. By law, it is not allowed to discriminate, but it happens a lot of time. Applicant "race" is important factor, I was specifically requested to avoid few nationalities. Age, race, gender is important although we don't put it in job ads. It is the internal filtering process that determines all.

    I want to be positive, but I don't think reality is that sweet.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    New zealand
    Posts
    157

    Default

    I have a migrant friend who is a disabled person requiring the company to make adjustment for him eg parking etc.. He managed to land a job despite being a newbie in NZ, aged 40, Asian. It all depends on your own ability to convince the employer your worth to them.Age, race, gender do not matter much generally in NZ though occassional bigotry does happen.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Waimauku near Auckland
    Posts
    502

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by larrykiwi View Post
    1) ...% composition of foreign born employees...more than 50%.
    3) ...age is not a barrier.
    We migrated to NZ nearly four years ago and we were both in our (early) fifties. I work in IT and have I've been working for the same company since I moved here that has approx 75% of its employees who were both overseas. The all the locally born employees all having spent some time working abroad.

    While I'm not their youngest employee, I'm not the oldest either.

    Like larrykiwi says, be positive and have faith in yourself.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Christchurch, New Zealand
    Posts
    118

    Default

    Hi,

    Jobs are plentiful here in Christchurch especially for IT.

    As for your concerns while there is a law against age discrimination I do somehow agree that there is always a bias to wards younger workers but hey this is everywhere and not a unique NZ phenom. Again IT is a very broad fiend and if you do have certain uniqueness eg: SAP systems analyst etc, you will find your problem with choosing which company to join.

    A point that I have to make is that you will have to lower your expectation when it comes to salary and career progression as compared to Singapore/Malaysia. Pay can remain relatively stagnant here and you have to ask yourself the reason for coming here and what is really important to you. If career progression/salary 5C's etc is really what you are after then I suggest staying back in Singapore. However if you are after a better balance lifestyle then NZ is perfect. I am not saying that you cannot make it big time here as far as career is concerned but I am just saying that the chances are significantly less than compared to Singapore.

    There are those who do end up as cleaners or taxi drivers but hey some of them actually earn more than the white collar jobs and I do know of some who became relatively well off by owning the business. You just have to get your mindset adjusted and if needed be prepared to start at the bottom and work your way up even if you are in your 50's. The good news is that the minimum wage is around $14 bucks an hour and that is not too bad compared to Singapore.

    Share with us your overall concerns and not just he career part as this is a big move and we all here want you to be a success story should you choose to make the big move.

    Cheers

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    SG
    Posts
    16

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by GaryTeh View Post
    Hi,

    Jobs are plentiful here in Christchurch especially for IT.

    As for your concerns while there is a law against age discrimination I do somehow agree that there is always a bias to wards younger workers but hey this is everywhere and not a unique NZ phenom. Again IT is a very broad fiend and if you do have certain uniqueness eg: SAP systems analyst etc, you will find your problem with choosing which company to join.

    A point that I have to make is that you will have to lower your expectation when it comes to salary and career progression as compared to Singapore/Malaysia. Pay can remain relatively stagnant here and you have to ask yourself the reason for coming here and what is really important to you. If career progression/salary 5C's etc is really what you are after then I suggest staying back in Singapore. However if you are after a better balance lifestyle then NZ is perfect. I am not saying that you cannot make it big time here as far as career is concerned but I am just saying that the chances are significantly less than compared to Singapore.

    There are those who do end up as cleaners or taxi drivers but hey some of them actually earn more than the white collar jobs and I do know of some who became relatively well off by owning the business. You just have to get your mindset adjusted and if needed be prepared to start at the bottom and work your way up even if you are in your 50's. The good news is that the minimum wage is around $14 bucks an hour and that is not too bad compared to Singapore.

    Share with us your overall concerns and not just he career part as this is a big move and we all here want you to be a success story should you choose to make the big move.

    Cheers
    Sounds like you are Singaporean to know about 5C
    Thank you for the explanation. You are right, I am looking for balance lifestyle and able to find job even when you are old age.
    As you know Singapore, when you are older, it is harder to find job generally. My previous company even prefer <40 for admin and accounts staff. Unless you are high up in rank, chances are you have to push your salary down a lot to simply land on a job for people above 40.

    If you have IT job, maybe you can share a little on working hours? We don't want to move NZ and ended the same as current situation.

    I am looking at lifestyle as well, but still, my basic concern is still financial stability. To be able to life comfortable, not too stressful , enough time for families.

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