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A $1 million Government recruitment drive to link New Zealand employers with skilled overseas migrants has attracted adverts for only two vacancies this year: a nurse and a hairdresser.
The Government admits that the website NetworkZ Online is not up to scratch and is reviewing it. The Immigration New Zealand website aims to attract skilled foreign workers to help ease the country's skills shortage.
Twenty-eight job vacancies were on the website last year.
Yesterday there were only two; a registered nurse and a hairdresser or cosmetologist.
The National Party says the website - which cost $1.15 million to design and set up, and a further $86,400 a year to keep running - is a failure.
"There are 6040 people looking for work, but only two vacancies [on the website], one of which is for a hairdresser," said associate immigration spokeswoman Pansy Wong.
She said the website was the country's most ineffective job agency.
"Imagine if Trade Me only had two sellers interested in listing. It wouldn't stay in business."
The MP also criticised the Government for spending $2 million to recruit information technology experts from China and India, when the website already had 1033 experienced people looking for work under "computer and mathematical occupations".
Immigration Minister David Cunliffe said he was not satisfied with the cost-effectiveness of the website, nor its performance, adding: "I have asked for it to be reviewed. I expect to receive the outcome of the review in short order."
