German expo to focus on jobs in NZ

The German government is holding a job expo for Germans looking to work in New Zealand.

The International Placement Office of the German Federal Employment Service will hold the expo in Bonn and Potsdam, near Berlin, in early September.

Although Germany reported unemployment of 11.6 per cent in May, organisers of the expo said Germany had a surplus of skilled labour, particularly in areas such as engineering, construction and various industrial sectors and trades.

This is the first expo targeting Australasian employers.

Bruce Goldsworthy, manufacturing division manager of the Employers and Manufacturers Association (Northern) welcomed the expo, saying there was a wide skill shortage across all sectors in New Zealand.

"It affects many of our members in their ability to expand and sometimes it's even a constraint on production levels."

New Zealand's unemployment rate currently sits at 3.9 per cent.

Employers from New Zealand and Australia will be able to hold interviews on site at the expo, and specific vacancies will be advertised throughout Germany before the event.

The German Employment Services said the expo was part of a big-picture approach, which looked at all employment opportunities -- both local and offshore.

- NZPA