Many members will welcome the announcement that the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) has removed the jobseeker oversupply list.
These lists, part of the government’s COVID-19 response last year, constituted advice from MSD about the supply of job seekers in regions of New Zealand for specific occupations.
The over and under supply lists were introduced to streamline MSD’s advice to Immigration New Zealand on the availability of job seekers. This advice forms part of the assessment of the labour market test (LMT) for jobs paying below the median wage for Essential Skills Work Visa applications. Several hospitality roles were on the oversupply list.
Where the LMT is required:
- advice from MSD (Work and Income) about the availability of New Zealanders must be taken into consideration by Immigration New Zealand when assessing Essential Skills work visa applications for roles paying below the median wage.
- For jobs that were on the oversupply list, MSD will now provide advice in individual Skills Match Reports (SMRs), as provided for other occupations.
- Employers are still required to engage with MSD and make genuine attempts to attract and recruit New Zealanders before a job is offered to a migrant worker.
The oversupply lists were removed 1 October 2021. The undersupply list will be removed later this year.