Advice for Accredited Employers: How to Promote Job Vacancies Overseas

The new employer accreditation rules that came into effect in July 2022 have altered the way employers approach overseas job applications. If you are struggling to find the right New Zealand employee and are looking to hire migrants from overseas, there are some unique challenges. 

We have some advice on where to start promoting your job vacancies overseas and information about the requirements and salaries you need to consider when hiring a migrant worker. 

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Become an Accredited Employer

The new visa process came into effect in July 2022 for employers wanting to hire migrants. This saw the introduction of the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV).

One aspect of the new system is that employers must be accredited to recruit migrant workers on work visas linked to a company.

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Whether you want to promote a job opening or multiple vacancies overseas, accreditation is the first step. This new accreditation system means employers must apply again even if they have been accredited under the past system.

For an employer to qualify for accreditation, they must comply with Immigration NZ’s regulations. 

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Employer Accreditation Requirements

To gain accreditation, your company should meet Immigration New Zealand’s requirements. 

You must comply with NZ employment rules, immigration law and business standards. You also must prove your company is in a stable financial position, have high standards of human resource policy and process to ensure the wellbeing of your workers, demonstrate good workplace practices, and have no record of regulatory non-compliance.

You must also pay all recruitment costs for hiring in and outside New Zealand. When you hire migrants, you also need to provide evidence that your company is helping your migrant employees settle by providing settlement support and service. This training should be completed within the first month of starting their new job with you. 

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Pass Job Requirements

A significant reason for the new accredited employer system is to ensure New Zealanders are offered job opportunities before sourcing migrant workers and those migrant workers are not exploited. INZ’s requirements also include providing evidence that you are committed to employing NZ residents and citizens before sourcing from overseas.

Once you have attempted to hire on these shores and can provide evidence of doing so, the job check is the next part of the process. It is vital to be able to promote job openings overseas.

You must ensure the job position meets the following requirements:

• Have an acceptable employment agreement and comply with employment law.
• Meet the national job description standards.
• Offer a minimum of 30 working hours a week.
• Pay the industry’s market rate and New Zealand median wage of NZ $27.76 an hour (this pay rate is subject to annual change) or more (excluding professions on the exemption list).

INZ will update the list of roles exempt from the median wage threshold from 31 October 2022 onwards.

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How to Prepare for Hiring Migrant Workers

Hiring from overseas takes patience and can be more complex, expensive and time-consuming than hiring locally.

You should consider the extra costs of hiring overseas when preparing for the process. Additional costs can come in many forms, including advertising, overseas travel and relocation fees.

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Plan the Recruitment Process

Before promoting your job openings, you need to plan your recruitment process. Here are a few tips to get you started.

• Ensure your job vacancy meets the requirements of a visa category - depending on your industry and job role, there are different paths to take. 
• Consider where you are most likely to find suitable candidates.
• Set realistic timeframes for the standard employment processes like advertising, interviewing and reference checking.
• Factor in the visa application process.
• Factor in accredited employer work visa processing times for your migrant worker to prepare for the big move, which might include selling their house and gathering documents.

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Keep Job Advertisements Clear

As an accredited employer, ensure you write a clear and specific job description that overseas candidates can understand. 

You want to write for your target audience, which will be those with experience in your industry, so be sure to include key details like the nature of the role, leave entitlements, salary range and a clear job title.

Vague job advertisements can waste your time trawling through a higher level of applications where candidates have a different or lower skill set. 

How to Promote Your Job Vacancies Overseas

For employers starting out on this journey, here is our advice on how to find your ideal candidates. 

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Register Your Vacancy With SkillFinder 

SkillFinder is a free online tool New Zealand employers use to register vacancies. It connects employers with workers overseas interested in working and living in New Zealand. The growing database has over one million people with in-demand skills.

By advertising directly to potential candidates that desire to make the move, you have a pool of candidates that are potentially more motivated to change countries.

You can filter the database by occupation, qualification, country, and experience, which is a great way to streamline the process. After registering, Immigration NZ will send job alert emails to those in the database that match your requirements.

The process is broken into five straightforward steps:

1. Register your vacancy on skillfinder.immigration.govt.nz.
2. Preview your drafted SkillFinder email and submit it.
3. INZ reviews your email and forwards it to potential candidates that match your criteria within seven business days.
4. You receive enquiries from potential candidates after the email has been sent.
5. INZ sends you a survey to measure your success six weeks later.

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Choose Where You Promote Jobs

Promoting job vacancies online is an excellent option for reaching overseas candidates. The channel you use to advertise should depend on the position you’re looking to fill and where you want to recruit from in the industry.

Some options include your company website, job websites like Seek and TradeMe, recruitment expos and business-focused social media like LinkedIn.

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Online Job Boards

Examples of some standard New Zealand job boards are Seek and TradeMe. These websites are also visited by migrants interested in living and working in New Zealand. As these are national job search websites, you may get a higher proportion of kiwi applicants. 

LinkedIn is a large global job marketplace for professionals, allowing you to promote your vacancies online. It’s a great way to advertise as you can target talent in your field, specifically by country and also reach out to potential candidates via private message. You can also reach people based on criteria such as occupation, skills, and experience. 

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Specialist Recruiters

Some specialist New Zealand recruiters and websites work alongside employers and help them find skilled workers overseas. These companies are a good starting point for employers serious about hiring from abroad, as they specifically target skilled people in specific industries. 

Recruiters can help you take care of the entire process. They recommend, recruit, review applicant resumes and interview potential candidates. Recruiters and other hiring specialists will usually search databases to find candidates with the qualifications and experience to fit the job.

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Your Company Website

Your company’s website is a great tool for attracting potential candidates from overseas. Many businesses that hire overseas will have a specific careers page with a list of vacancies, including job descriptions.

There are a few ways to customise your website to help find the right overseas worker. Consider creating a page for international applicants, as it can help your vacancies stand out to overseas workers looking for an NZ job. 

Ensure your website content doesn’t exclude people who don’t have a work visa. As an accredited employer, you can sponsor the right candidate to get NZ working rights and gain an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV). This visa can allow migrants to live and work in New Zealand for up to three years. 

The migrant must also meet Immigration NZ’s requirements and pass the ‘migrant worker check’

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Determine Your Advertising Timeframe

Think about your timing. Advertising job positions and interviewing candidates during overseas holiday periods may not bring you the results you want. 

Ask yourself the following questions:

• When do you want or need the vacancy filled?
• How long do you have to advertise?
• How long will it take to onboard someone?
• Who will manage the process?

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Get Professional Immigration Advice 

Employers who take responsibility for the safe and successful integration of their migrant workers seriously are likely to see their teams flourish.

The transition period between countries can be stressful for both your employees and their families – but when done well, you are gaining a loyal employee who is determined to make the best out of this move for themselves and your business. Everyone wins! 

Malcolm Pacific Immigration can help smooth over both the accreditation process, as well as supporting your potential employees through the visa process. Our licensed immigration advisers are experts in NZ immigration!

Get in touch with us today.