What are the highest paid jobs in New Zealand in 2023?

Why work in New Zealand?

New Zealand is an Australasian country that’s as famous as Australia on the world scene. It’s famous for its unique culture, quality of life, and economic freedom. The modern prosperity and strength of New Zealand’s economy have in part the contribution of immigrants.

Here are some very strong reasons you should work in New Zealand:

• The people in New Zealand are friendly and will help you well to integrate into the population after you immigrate to the country.
• New Zealand is a naturally rich country. There’s stunning scenery, which will help you to unwind and enjoy the scenic beaches, snow-capped mountains, and much more.
• The economy of New Zealand is strong. The country has a thriving economy. There are many opportunities for skilled professionals and finding employment is not going to be a hassle.
• With many activities to indulge in, the lifestyle in New Zealand is quite enjoyable and wholesome. You can go about an active life by indulging in skiing, biking, surfing, and more. It’s a great place to raise your family too!
• New Zealand has a world-class healthcare system. It’s universal and healthcare services are freely available to permanent residents and citizens.
• The educational system of New Zealand is one of the best in the world. So, if you have intentions to study or find a good place for your kids to study, New Zealand will be a great place to migrate to.
• New Zealand offers a safe place to live and work as the crime rate is low and there’s little social or political unrest to be found.
• With the right skill set, it’s pretty easy to immigrate to New Zealand.
• The work culture in New Zealand is quite participative and contributive. Proactiveness is appreciated and innovativeness is focused on.
• Organizational layers or hierarchies don’t affect the quality of the work environment or the interactions between employees in the company at various levels.
• Concerned about a healthy work-life balance? You can find the best work-life balance in New Zealand. Companies and management will give employees a fair amount of time to dedicate to personal and familial tasks.
• The unemployment rate in New Zealand is just about 4 percent. There’s no dearth of job opportunities for skilled professionals in various industrial sectors like healthcare, manufacturing, and construction.

Job vacancies in New Zealand

New Zealand has many job vacancies for skilled professionals. The major areas in which jobs are available in New Zealand are the following:

• Construction
• Engineering
• Business and Finance
• Healthcare and social services
• ICT (Information Communication and Technology)
• Electronics and telecommunication
• Hospitality, recreation, and tourism
• Trades
• Science

New Zealand Employment projections in 2023

Currently, in Q4 of 2022, the unemployment rate in New Zealand is at 3.4 percent. The trends analysis is pointing at a further reduction of this rate in 2023.

As for the employment rate, in September 2022, the total employment was 2,853,000. The employment rate was 70 percent in the same month.

Top 10 Highest-Paid Professions in New Zealand

Here are the highest-paid professions in New Zealand in 2022:

Job role	Average annual salary (in New Zealand Dollars)
Healthcare
Anesthesiologist	47,000 – 116,000
Pathologist	164,000 - 499,000
General Practitioner	182,022
IT
Solutions Architect	150,000
Cloud Architect	160,000
Technical Architect	150,000
Scrum Master	137,146
Software Engineer	107,250
Systems Engineer	93,900
Finance
Financial Controller	145,685

How to start your career in New Zealand?

Before you go for a work visa in New Zealand, you are recommended to look for a job in New Zealand. Obtaining a job offer in New Zealand helps to get a work visa in New Zealand much easier.

So, let’s start with finding a job in New Zealand. First, you must find out which industries in New Zealand provide the most opportunities. If your job profile matches an industry that generates a lot of employment in this country, you can proceed to seek jobs. The MBIE (Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment) is a great source for studying the job market in New Zealand.

Next, research the job opportunities in the job titles you are interested in. Learn about the pay scale, requirements of qualifications, and the number of job opportunities. It’s also important that you conduct thorough research on potential employers in New Zealand. Find answers to questions like

• What's their work portfolio?
• What’s their specialization?
• What’s their size of business and organization?
• Who are their competitors?
• How can you identify clients and customers as?

It’s important that you look for a job with accredited employers. These are those employers who have a history of recruiting many foreign workers. In fact, migrants can find a list of 450 or more businesses that are accredited employers in New Zealand.

There’s a National Qualifications Framework in New Zealand that ranks qualifications from 0 to 10. The immigration system of New Zealand maintains a list of international qualifications that are considered common. These qualifications have already gone through an assessment against the framework and show the level. In case your qualification is present on this list, it will get an exemption from an assessment.

In case one or more of your qualifications aren’t listed, it may be required that you get it through an assessment by the NZQA (New Zealand Qualifications Authority).

The qualifications that are exempt are valid in one of these cases:

• you are laying claim for points in an application for a Skilled Migrant visa
• you are lodging an application for a work visa based on your occupation present on a list for skill shortage and if an equivalent qualification in New Zealand is raised as a requirement

Create a CV that matches the requirements of New Zealand employers. They are known to be interested in

• Personal and technical skills
• Education level and qualifications
• Work experience
• Experience in community and volunteer work

It’s common that these employers will ask you to produce some form of evidence to demonstrate how you have done an application of your skills.

When applying for a work visa in New Zealand, you have many types of work visas to choose from. They include:

Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa

This visa is meant for foreign nationals who have the experience and qualifications that can enable them to contribute to the growth of New Zealand’s economy.

Straight to Residence Visa

If you have received a job offer from an accredited employer in New Zealand, you can apply for this visa. Your job has to be on Tier 1 of the Green List. The Green List is a list that contains a limited number of job roles that need highly skilled people who are in shortage in New Zealand.

Accredited Employer Work Visa

If you have these qualities, you can apply for this visa:

• You have received a job offer from an accredited employer
• Your skills and qualifications match the requirements of the offered job
• You have a link to the application form

Post-Study Work Visa

If you have completed an educational qualification that’s acceptable in New Zealand, you can apply for this visa. With this visa, you can work for any employer in New Zealand. You can be employed in almost any kind of work.

Specific Purpose Work Visa

If you have expertise or skill that will bring distinct benefits to New Zealand, you can apply for this visa and arrive in New Zealand for a particular event or purpose.

Talent Work Visa

In case you possess exceptional talent in the field of sport, culture, or art, you can apply for this visa. It can provide a pathway to obtaining permanent residence in New Zealand.

Choose from one of these visas to migrate to New Zealand. Get professional advice from expert overseas job consultants to make the perfect move to migrate and work in New Zealand.

How can Y-Axis assist you to find the right profession in New Zealand?

For the best overseas job search and visa services of world standards to live and work in New Zealand, visit Y-Axis. Professionals wanting to work in New Zealand can seek our valuable services namely:

• Expert assistance to apply for a work visa in New Zealand.
• Career counseling with expert advice.
• Immigration consultancy to show you the right path to immigrate risk-free and hassle-free.
• Expert coaching services for language proficiency tests like IELTS, CELPIP, and PTE when you need it most.

If you are looking for expert immigration advice and overseas job assistance, talk to Y-Axis, the leading immigration and career consultant in the UAE.

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