Demand for migrant workers in Christchurch

Declan Clancy says demand for migrant workers in Christchurch likely to continue

One World Resourcing’s Declan Clancy agrees that the demand for migrant workers in Christchurch is likely to continue for some time.

Christchurch immigration lawyer Mark Williams has been reported as saying that Christchurch has a shortage of skills needed for major commercial construction projects in the central city.

It has been reported that, since July 2011, almost 5500 work visas for the Canterbury rebuild have been issued, with the bulk of workers coming from Britain, Ireland and the Philippines.

One World Resourcing is an international human resource management company with operations in the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia and the Philippines.

Its Christchurch-based Chief Executive, Declan Clancy, says he is not expecting demand for migrant workers to reduce significantly in the short to medium term.

“If anything, with the major rebuild projects still to get underway, demand is likely to increase.”

Mr Clancy says there will be some companies that will have delayed hiring migrant workers until they know what share of future rebuild work they are likely to have.

“As these contracts are awarded, we will see these companies turn to agencies such as ours to help them find the workers they will need to get the work done.”

One World Resourcing Director Louise Daly says: “In recognition of the expected ongoing demand for migrant workers throughout New Zealand, in particular in Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland, we have introduced a new arrangement with Site Safe, which allows workers in the Philippines to be skills-assessed, trained and issued with Site Safe Building and Civil Construction Passports before they arrive in New Zealand. This exclusive arrangement with Site Safe is one component of One World Resourcing’s new Ethical Resourcing Model, which it is pioneering in New Zealand.

The Ethical Resourcing Model seeks to protect Filipino workers from exploitation by:

• Providing an open and transparent recruitment process for all stakeholders.
• Ensuring they are ready to start earning as soon as they arrive in New Zealand by having them Site Safe accredited before leaving the Philippines.
• Removing their reliance on loan sharks in the Philippines (with extortionate rates of between 70% and 200% per annum) through a partnership with ANZ. This will allow Filipino workers brought to New Zealand by One World Resourcing to open a New Zealand bank account and to start a credit history here.
• Ensuring the workers arriving here are met in a culturally sensitive manner through a unique partnership and support structure with the Christchurch Migrants Centre.
• Working with accommodation providers to prevent tenant exploitation.

Site Safe, a national not-for-profit organisation, is dedicated to promoting a culture of health and safety in work, to prevent deaths and injuries in New Zealand's construction and related industries.

ENDS.

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