Immigrants fill employment gap

01-04-2008 | Lisa Fraser

Recruiting employees from overseas is by no means a new phenomenon. Traditionally, New Zealand has been recruiting for the agricultural sector from countries such as the United Kingdom, South Africa, Zimbabwe and North America.

In most of these countries English is the first language and the living conditions and cultures are similar, which has been a huge benefit to NZ.

The reality is that we are now competing with other parts of the world for good employees and we have to look for a new pool of talent.

Employers are increasingly looking to Eastern Block countries such as Russia, Romania and South America and more recently there has been an increased interest in Asia, particularly the Philippines. While these employees are potentially very good, there are some issues to be aware of.

On the one hand, these people are willing to work, learn and adapt quickly, are not scared of hard physical work and, with regard to the dairy sector, are generally happy with the repetition involved when milking cows.

The potential challenges however lie in their comprehension of English. This can create difficulty when discussing the jobs on-farm and can also pose significant risk when it comes to health and safety. These people generally are not used to the way New Zealanders farm or to the terminology and ‘slang' that we use in our everyday conversations.

The difference in culture and religion is often a big shock to immigrant employees and can pose challenges on-farm. An example is their desire for time off to go to church every Sunday. Furthermore, when these employees first arrive in NZ, they rarely have the finance to provide themselves with a vehicle, groceries or other essentials, so it is up to the employer to support them while they get established.

Isolation from their wife or husband and children or family members who stay at home, as well as from fellow countrymen who may also be working in another part of NZ, is probably one of the most significant issues that any immigrant employee needs to deal with, particularly during their first few months of employment.

This is an area where a good employer can really make a difference with the amount of support offered and provided.

The key thing to remember when considering employees from abroad for your farm is that employing international staff is neither good nor bad - it's just different. These employees have different needs than Kiwi employees, so need to be treated accordingly.

For example their priorities for working in NZ may surprise you.

Employees from Asian countries usually work in NZ for the money they can send home to their family.

They often work in junior to medium positions and don't necessarily chase promotion. They tend to be more comfortable following direction and set procedure so that they have economic stability together with the ability to send the bulk of their earnings home.

As a prospective employer of overseas applicants there are three important aspects to consider before proceeding:

• Do your research on what overseas employees will need for them to be successful in their employment and settling into NZ.

• Decide if you are able or willing to provide the resources and support essential for their success.

• Be sure you know all you need to know about your potential employee before they come to NZ.

Recruiting international employees is definitely part of the answer for NZ's tight labour market but it is by no means the whole answer.

There are many positives and challenges to overcome, but this can and has already been done successfully by many employers.

• This column has been prepared by ATR Fegan recruitment consultant Lisa Fraser (www.atrfegan.com).
  

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