KEY POINTS:
Attracting talented workers to New Zealand has been touted as one measure to fill the skill shortage but luring candidates with more money is not the way to go about it, says Richard Manthel, managing director of Robert Walters Recruitment.
"When it comes to money, it's very hard for us to stack up internationally. Very rarely do we find that we can compete dollar for dollar," Manthel says.
Robert Walters has been actively recruiting overseas for 10 years and Manthel says they bring in more than 500 workers a year.
"We're going offshore to find these people using our networks and international offices to track down people who we can pull to New Zealand, as opposed to waiting for them to contact us," Manthel says.
New Zealand businesses are seeking to draw in those Kiwis who have gone off on their OE as well as new immigrants.
"It's a pretty hard sell to actually go to somebody and say, 'I know you've never thought of coming to New Zealand but would you consider a job in New Zealand?' You've got a double sell. You've got to sell the country and you've got to sell the job."
Manthel says in recent years New Zealand has appeared on the radar for people seeking an opportunity for career advancement or who want to move to a safer country with a certain lifestyle.
But online job ads are probably not going to do the trick.
"If you put an ad on the internet and you just cross your fingers in hope, it's pretty hard to find someone," Manthel says.
Even though internationally mobile job candidates might make up a small percentage of the recruitment market, agencies are actively tracking and pursuing them.
"We email opportunities to the database saying, 'Who do you know who would fit this opportunity?'."
Robert Walters also phones the 5000 Kiwis on its database to check up on them.
"With those 5000, we know when their visas run out. We know where they're working, their skill sets and their motivation. We know when these people are coming home all the time."
For the new immigrants, Manthel says the Department of Immigration is now aware of the skill shortages and has taken a more commercial fast-track approach to issuing visas.
"Immigration has always been blamed as a bit of a roadblock. But it would be fair to say nowadays Immigration is fantastic and very rarely do we have issues getting visas for these candidates."
But once they're here, Manthel says employers need to work to hold on to them.
"We've got to make sure they're settled, they've got support networks around them and they integrate into the workplace well and they integrate with the community."
But hiring someone sight unseen from overseas is not a good idea.
"We encourage clients to fly candidates down here to have face-to-face interviews so the candidate gets to see the country and the location, which is all part of the buy-in process."
If you're going to be paying someone a high salary plus relocation costs and a recruitment fee on top of that, Manthel says a few thousand dollars for an airfare is nothing to ensure the person is the right fit.
Most skilled immigrants are over 30 years old. Anyone from overseas who is younger than that is generally just coming for their OE and some kind of contract work so they can go travelling.
But international recruitment also works in reverse, with big overseas banks and accounting companies in particular coming down under to pluck Kiwi talent.
"Recently one of the chartered accountant firms came down from Russia to try and find people for Moscow. We're getting hammered the whole time."
Accountants aged 25-28 are easily lured offshore by larger salaries but don't usually stay away for good.
"We track them and we keep in contact with them. So, most of them come back. They might take a year. Some might take five but they eventually come back."
Their reasons for coming back to New Zealand are diverse.
"Typically you'll find with Kiwis coming home, there'll be a reason for them to leave London.
"There's a catalyst. It might be they're getting married. It might be having their first child or their eldest child is turning five. It could be that their visa expires. It could be their friends are coming home. It could be that a family member is ill."
An expired visa is no longer a primary reason for people coming back home. With Britain keen to hang on to skilled New Zealanders, it's fairly easy for Kiwis to get a visa extension. But Manthel is hoping they don't.
"It's really important that people understand that we want to play a part in getting these people home."
