There is a problem with migrants in New Zealand, and it isn’t their numbers, says Wellington Chamber of Commerce chief executive Charles Finny. The problem is that employers don’t see an opportunity “staring them in the face”, he says.

 

“They keep on complaining about not being able to employ anyone, or anyone skilled, yet we have a lot of those skills available here in NZ being under-utilised, in terms of migrant and refugee populations.”

 

In order to find out why, the Wellington Chamber is working with Victoria University researching the psychology of employers in a paper, Facilitating migrants’ entry and integration in the workplace. The study is being expanded from a regional to a national study through the New Zealand Chamber network.

 

Finny says there are plenty of efforts being made towards helping migrants to access employment. “But I think there could be a national campaign and a coordinated approach. I do hear of others wanting to get into this field and perhaps duplicate and waste resources. I think, 'No, there’s enough going on'. They should be supporting what’s already happening instead as opposed to developing something new.”

 

The Wellington Chamber of Commerce’s own workforce is made up of at least a quarter new migrants, including Chinese and Indian employees who were under-employed in their previous jobs, he says. “They’re now working for us in areas directly relating to their skill-sets; they’re fantastic employees.”