Attracting global Talent: Aotearoa's story to the world. With insight from NZ Story.

The way we see ourselves is not always the way others see us, or as someone once said, “It’s easier to read the bottle label from the outside”.

Right now, this sage advice could not be more apposite when it comes to Aotearoa New Zealand’s story and how the world sees us.

Make no mistake, we are in a race to attract global talent and the way we tell our story to the world is going to be increasingly important as we dial up efforts to tackle the serious skill shortages that are just around the corner.

For those whose glass is half-empty, please bear with me because this is a post full of patriotism and positivity, with a healthy dose of reality.??

And who else to bring some pragmatism and positivity to the story, than David Downs CEO of New Zealand Story, who also shed his light on how the lessons for New Zealand exporters are highly relevant to how employers attract global skills.?

What’s changed??

Before 2020, the power of New Zealand’s ‘clean, green’ brand would often carry a candidate or family over the recruitment line. At HainesAttract, we’d hear from candidates that potential concessions on income and offer details could be finalised once they’d embedded in our land of milk and honey.

That’s all changed. To highlight but one factor, the cost of living now trumps any country brand story, with New Zealand ranked 13th most expensive place to live versus the United Kingdom at 22.?

What this means??

New Zealand remains an attractive destination but, employers much like exporters cannot leverage the New Zealand brand alone. It’s time to get your ducks aligned. Leverage the country brand and your own employer brand by all means. But, the basics must stack up.

In terms of basics, David Downs talks about “hygiene factors” – the right product and offer, and the correct market pricing and package. Nailing the fundamentals of the value proposition and being globally competitive is fundamental. New Zealand is the ‘icing on the cake’ and will play its part to attract and support.

In the engineering sector, more than half of the candidates HainesAttract?deals with have another job offer on the table, so if you not competitive in the market you’re not going to get your talent target across the line.

Career pathways are another important factor. You've got to be able to show there's a pathway for progression for your talent.

Visibility in a global marketplace

At present, Downs (as do we) believes that it’s not Immigration New Zealand core focus to sell our country abroad.

There are no headline campaigns and no big Kiwi stories being told. However, that doesn’t stop sectors, employers and regions telling theirs. Your story is one of the most important factors in attracting and retaining talent.

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Visibility in a global marketplace

At present, Downs (as do we) believes that it’s not Immigration New Zealand core focus to sell our country abroad.

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Leverage your advocates??

With 42% of Auckland’s population born overseas, we have ready-made advocates who can sell your company to prospective employees. People more readily trust folk from their own culture, so use your migrant talent to tell your story.

Other factors beyond employers’ control

For more than 90% of Haines' international candidates, the wait time for a visa is three months. That's too long; in that time, people's parents can fall ill, circumstances can change, or a more compelling job offer in Queensland can land.

We're strongly urging Immigration NZ to look at its processes and see how it can improve those wait times and help smooth the way for employers trying to find candidates to fill critical roles in their organisation.

So where to next?

Take a step back and as we head into 2025, there’s work to be done and talented people to join us here to do it. But’s it’s on us to be seen and lead the way. And “brand New Zealand” will be there right beside us, but not in front.??

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