[iguana2008]

I havent seen much talk in the papers. Am back in IReland and its looking very dismal here.
Is there still a lot of work around in NZ? Auckland in particular?

[skibumwa]

Yes it has... :yes Wellington is stagnant for high tech job hiring. There's some laying off happening. The GOVT has yet to announce it's new budget for FY 2009-10. They will do this next month sometime. Our company here in NZ is laying off now. NZIS is clamping down on offering Work Permits to high tech (IT) people as many high tech IT kiwis/PRs are out of work now. The NZ Dept of Labour wants Kiwis and Residents to take jobs first before immigrants obviously.

It very competitive here.. very very competitive for jobs!

Good luck!
John

[jeffanar]

Apaprently - my company is laying off 30 people in new Zealand this week - along with 130 in Australia :eek:

[925dancer]

It is quite tough going. There are jobs but as has been said, it is very competitive. I must have applied for about 50 jobs, maybe more, maybe less! I have only just been asked for interview.

I'm a secretary/PA within property an dam interviewing for a property manager role, not even what I was focussing my efforts on.

Every email I get back says the same thing, high volume of applicants, on this occasion you won't be moving through the application process. Very disheartening!

[hosebergine]

Yes it has... :yes Wellington is stagnant for high tech job hiring. There's some laying off happening. The GOVT has yet to announce it's new budget for FY 2009-10. They will do this next month sometime. Our company here in NZ is laying off now. NZIS is clamping down on offering Work Permits to high tech (IT) people as many high tech IT kiwis/PRs are out of work now. The NZ Dept of Labour wants Kiwis and Residents to take jobs first before immigrants obviously.

It very competitive here.. very very competitive for jobs!

Good luck!
John

Ace, that's cheered us up. What are your sources re: NZIS?

[Wonderbob]

So the world is in the worst recession since WW2 and yes it's affecting NZ as well. And news just out from Bloomberg today re US unemployment figures, are just dreadful:

"The economy lost 663,000 jobs in March, bringing losses since the slump began to about 5.1 million, the worst in the postwar era, Labor Department figures showed in Washington. The 8.5 percent jobless rate was consistent with the forecasts of 79 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News. The Institute of Supply Management’s non-manufacturing index unexpectedly dropped.

“We could continue to see a few more months of really bad employment numbers before it starts to ease,” said Nariman Behravesh, chief economist at IHS Global Insight in Lexington, Massachusetts. Behravesh projected the jobless rate will peak between 10 percent and 10.5 percent in early 2010. “We aren’t there yet, but we are getting closer to a bottom,” he said."

Unemployment is creeping up here as well, the Dominion newspaper in Wgtn was posting 850 jobs each Saturday at the peak of the economy (over a year ago), and today's Dom has 370 which is pathetic. Part of this is that employers are using on-line methods of advertising for workers more and more, but mostly I think companies aren't hiring. Gloomy I afraid, but it is what it is. Hopefully 2010 will be a little better.........

[ellenmelon]

anecdotally...it very much seems to be hitting Ireland worse than it is here. Thats just from speaking with my mum about it who lives there and also speaking to other expats here that talk to their family and friends about it. Utilities are getting rapidly more expensive, taxes and pensions are taking a giant chunk out of wages..you know the deal better than I do Iguana as your experiencing it but it doesn't seem or feel to be as bad.

[M-Squared]

It's hitting a lot of countries a lot worse than it is in NZ and Oz as our banking systems are FAR sturdier! However, this hasn't stopped my employer from shedding 10% of its technology staff... :(

[MaryMc]

Yes, it's getting tougher. Hubbys firm (Auckland) made half of the workers redundant just before Christmas and last week announced the complete closure of the plant. And this is a large multi-national firm.

I know most of those who were made redundant before Christmas are still looking for work - any work.

There is work out there if you can get to the interview stage - but people are applying for 200 or so jobs before they even get that far.

[mylesdw]

My firm has us on a 9 day fortnight; it suits me quite well getting the extra time off.

Ireland was living in a make-believe world generated by a huge pile of EU money. It was bound to end sooner or later.

[dilanium]

All I can say about this is thank goodness I'm a student right now. Hopefully the economy picks up by the time I graduate (so I can pay off my massive loans!).

[Duncan74]

All I can say about this is thank goodness I'm a student right now. Hopefully the economy picks up by the time I graduate (so I can pay off my massive loans!).


But it goes in cycles. I was at uni 93-97 and remember thinking and saying the same thing then. I'm definately glad I've not just graduated, but for anyone in that position remember it's the economy, do something useful with your time if you can't get a job and then be ready for when there's a massive skills shortage and a big 'catch-up' in 2 years time and we'll all be moaning about how we have to work overtime every weekend....

[dilanium]

93-97? What was wrong with the economy in 93-97?

[BkyMonster]

Don't know that there was anything in the US. I do remember 2001+ (right after I graduated) being kind of unfun after the tech bubble burst. OH was looking nationwide for work for 6 months.

[Duncan74]

93-97? What was wrong with the economy in 93-97?

Might have been more pronounced in teh construction industry, but there was a definate crash. House prices nationwide dropped, fair few lay offs too.

[eassae]

Peter Schiff was right.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=230058&title=peter-schiff

The clip doesn't necessarily have to do with NZ, but it probably will eventually. Maybe everyone in NZ that has a US loan can pay off their debt more easily in the future?

[dilanium]

Might have been more pronounced in teh construction industry, but there was a definate crash. House prices nationwide dropped, fair few lay offs too.

was that just in the UK? I'm from the US.

[juliusl]

Don't know that there was anything in the US. I do remember 2001+ (right after I graduated) being kind of unfun after the tech bubble burst. OH was looking nationwide for work for 6 months.

That was dot-com bubble.

[BkyMonster]

That was dot-com bubble.
Yes, I know. Was referring to 93-97 in the post above mine which wasn't a particularly bad time for the US.