dianah

Hi,
I finally got my WTR (work to residence visa). If I’m going for it I would have to decide very soon and move to NZ by May.
I’m working in IT (software developer with 4 years of experience) and it looks like the timing couldn’t be worse.

Can anyone please share some light about the employment situation in the IT field?
To be more specific I was hoping to find a job in the south island, probably Christchurch.

I’m afraid the global recession may have caused experienced employees discharge recently and it would make it much harder for an immigrant like me to find a job.
Do you think it’s realistic for me expecting to find a job within a reasonable time in Christchurch or should I just aim for Wellington?

More generally, I’m afraid the global recession might make things worse in the coming months (this is what is happening here in the last 6 months in IT field).
So, should I stay or should I go?

Thanks, Diana

Hokey-pokey

I know nothing nothing about the IT industry, however I do keep a very close eye on the economy. Here is the latest report from Westpac NZ, which you can cut and paste to read.

http://www.westpac.co.nz/olcontent/olcontent.nsf/content/FM_Employment_Confidence_Q4_20090107/$FILE/Q4_Employment_Confidence_Index.pdf

jmh

Gosh that is a tough one. I don't know about the IT sector either, I'm sorry. I was over there at Christmas and some were saying that the crunch won't be so bad there, but I personally think that is wishful thinking. I spoke to my mum today and in the paper they have a running total of job losses going into the thousands. That's a lot in a small population like NZ. If it is just you and you don't have to worry about supporting a family you could take a risk, otherwise, if you already have a job I would keep it for now. Hard decision I know.

dianah

Thank you both for the answers..

Jmh,
Thanks, that's what I wanted to hear..Concrete information about the current situation..From some reason it's hard to get it..
Anyway, it's me and my husband and our 2 yrs old girl, so we're being cautious. We both have good jobs here at the moment..
Well, we'll have to decide soon, and I still don't know what it's going to be

MattH

It is harder to find IT work at the moment IMO, although jobs are still out there for talented individuals (contracting seems VERY quiet tho!) - I haven't seen much slowdown in Wellington yet, the large Govt departments are still spending on larger projects.

Matt

luvwelly

BUT National has a stated policy of making cuts wherever possible so beware civil servants. Corporates in Wellington have started cutting back. I know IT jobs in Banks have been cut back in Wellington. TBH it costs such a lot to relocate out here, if you have good jobs in UK, I really would stay put for now.

If you were a medic it would be different they do always need those.

Black Sheep

dianah,

I personally would not come to NZ right now if I didn't already have a secure job lined up. Especially if I already had a good job that I'd have to give up in order to come here.

No-one knows for sure what the next few years will be like, how this recession will hit NZ, but just look at the New Zealand dollar: it has already dropped to historic lows recently (NZ$ 0.49 cents to US$ 1.00) from historic highs (NZ$ 0.80+ cents to US$ 1.00) only a short while ago.

Even in the best of times, finding a job in NZ was not always assured. Not always as easy for immigrants to find work here as many have or had been led to believe it would be.

The whole NZ recession picture is not yet clear, and if I was in your shoes I'd be staying put in UK and putting NZ on the back burner for now. You can keep an eye on the NZ situation from the security of your good job, and reassess things periodically, see how things are unfolding here. Sometimes, hard as it is, it's very much in your best interests to hold off a bit on your dreams, in order to do what's necessary to ensure they don't turn into nightmares!!

MattH

Guess we'll see - none of the Govt depts I've spoken to plan to cut spending on IT infrastructure this year - although whether you'll be able to find a job depends on your experience/skills etc more than ever (Software Developers are in the top 10 "recession proof jobs list" according to Forbes!).
The commerical sector is quieter than '08 though, and much of the banks' IT capabilities have long left Wellington.

Guess most people are in a holding pattern career wise at the mo, although tomorrow might never come...

chocolate cake

The effect of the recession in NZ will be little different in NZ to that in UK and worldwide, I'd agree with above advice. There would be no harm though applying for jobs from UK if you were in a position to move at reasonable short notice (house to sell? probably not). Some cos will do phone/video interviews.

Smiler68

Hi Diana,

I am in IT Management in Auckland, having worked for a company based in Auckland and Christchurch, I would have to say that if you are looking to come you have to stay in Auckland or Wellington, no disrespect to Christchurch (in fact I love Christchurch) but there is very few IT jobs.

Depending on your skills, people tend to look for .net, C#, java, etc. Programmers here tend to be a bit of a "jack of all trades", having to do some BA work, programming, testing, etc.

If you are a really good programmer then you would have no problem in finding a job, good ones are hard to come across, you can pick average programmers up cheap now, but the good ones are still sought after.

Go to http://www.itsalaries.co.nz for an idea of salaries, clcik on salary search page on the right hand side.

harrogate girl

Hi Diana hope this may help HAYS in Christchurch have the most jobs at any time Ian Thomas may be able to help you find a job on 03 3776656 or e-mail [email protected] he does have one job Systems Analyst ref 289/00023417 but if this is not you like I said he may well be able to help you
Lin

BEVS

Please contact Wiznton via PM on this site. He is a recruitment consultant in Christchurch. Lovely poster to this BE site who will help you if he can.

zummerzet_lou

I too am in IT, and had set my heart on Christchurch and got very disheartened by the number of posts about not being able to find any IT employment here.

Thankfully, we stuck to our guns and moved here - deciding to give Christchurch a couple of months before maybe re-locating to so-called places with more IT jobs (Wellington or Auckland).

Anyway, I did a lot of CV sending, talking to IT recruiters and companies prior to our flight, and actually had a telephone interview prior to emigrating, which resulted in a job offer here in Christchurch after a face-to-face inerview.

All the best, and by all means, drop me a PM if you want some more info, or if I can be of any assistance.

Lou

dianah

Thank you all for the answers (harrogate girl, BEVS here, zummerzet_lou).
I will try to contact them.