Labour Market
New Zealand is known for its high quality of life; wherever you are working, you’ll never be far from a forested bike trail, a beach or a beautiful national park. This could be why New Zealanders celebrate having one of the best work-life balances in the world. According to a 2020 study, New Zealand is the easiest country to do business with and the easiest place in the world to start a business. With very few restrictions in place, Kiwis can get make their business idea a reality in a matter of hours. Such an accessible system is excellent for competition in the country’s entrepreneurial environment.
Kiwi Industry
The most prominent industries in New Zealand are agriculture, representing 6% of the countries workforce, and the service sector. The service industry represents around 65% of GDP and employs over 70% of the population. Due to New Zealand’s proximity to Asia and Australia, tourism is one of the primary services, along with real estate and financial services.
New Zealand has seen an average economic growth of 3% over the last few years. It has a growing need for additions to its workforce due to this growth and its relatively low population. For this reason, New Zealand looks to fill these highly skilled occupations with specialists from overseas. Health, engineering and IT are all industries where skilled workers are sought after; however, those with more general skills in construction, trades and business often find they are needed too.
This means that New Zealand attracts some of the most highly skilled individuals from all over the world to join its diverse, growing and statistically very happy workforce.