Migrants will be absolutely fundamental to New Zealand achieving its growth aims, but first there has to be some “myth busting” around migrant employment, says Auckland Chamber of Commerce chief executive Michael Barnett. If a prospective employee has a foreign name, there are probably as many positive attributes as there may be negatives, he says.

 

“Don’t believe that their understanding or use of English are going to be a problem. Don’t believe that because their qualifications are obtained in Shanghai, they’re not genuine. There are too many myths around. Make the effort to remove the myths and come back to the fact that these people have come to NZ committed to a new lifestyle and to making a difference in a new environment.”

 

Five or six years ago, Barnett was “frustrated” by a labour market in which recruitment agencies were filtering out migrant jobseekers. “They were using their little filters, which were ‘must have New Zealand experience’ – it was almost like a resistance movement out there that was stopping migrants from getting employment.”

 

Barnett says he has seen a “huge” improvement since then. He credits the Chamber’s New Kiwis website, started in response to the recruitment problems he saw, with placing over 3000 migrants into fulltime employment.

 

Barnett admits there can be issues of cultural adaptation, but he insists that employers can make migrant employment work for them and for their employees. It can be an advantage for a company doing business internationally if they can use the networks that some migrants have to offer, he says.

 

“I’ve got an instance right now where I’ve got a staff member, a young Chinese woman who’s working here. She’s just gone home on holiday to Shanghai to see her mother, but while she’s there she’s pursuing a number of enquiries that we have in the Chinese market for the Chamber. So it’s working for me and I know that for others, they could make it work for them.”

 

Barnett says that businesses have to realise they are part of an international workforce. “If I’m a retail person, I have a large number of people here of a different culture, and these people become my customers. Perhaps having somebody that they can easily relate to might be a positive thing.”

 

Migrant employment initiatives have been rather fragmented, but Barnett sees signs that the government is “getting smarter” in adopting a linked, whole-of-government approach. He believes that territorial local authorities (TLAs) could do the same – and in partnership. “Central Government has had a partnership with us as the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, and there is good reason for them to do that. We provide good links back into the business community, and that commercial credibility. There’s no reason, if there’s other initiatives, that local government can’t form similar partnerships with people that give them access into networks that they can’t easily get access to.”

 

The Chamber believes in leading by example, Barnett says. Over 15 percent of his employees are new migrants.