September 2nd 2004
A government report lists the jobs obtained by degree-qualified-migrants living in NZ for less than ten years.
Most migrants were found to be working in professions on shortage lists.
If you have a degree and your experience matches any of the roles listed below, your chances of finding work in NZ should be relatively good if the past is anything to go by.
Interestingly, the classic example of under-employment in skilled migrants - the taxi-driver - is absent from the lists below. 0.4 percent of degree-qualified migrants were engaged in taxi driving.
Readers with high career-aspirations should not be too concerned at the appearance of Waiters and Bartenders on the list of migrant occupations - these were mainly people on working holiday visas or students.
Top 20 Occupations of Immigrants with University Degrees in 2001
| Profession | Actual Number of Migrants | Percentage Migrants in this Role |
| Computing Professionals | 1,062 | 5.5% |
| Accountants | 912 | 4.7% |
| Nursing / Midwifery | 732 | 3.8% |
| Sales and Demonstrators | 723 | 3.7% |
| Supply and Distribution Managers | 690 | 3.6% |
| Finance & Admin Managers | 627 | 3.2% |
| Medical Doctors | 615 | 3.2% |
| Primary Teaching Profs | 612 | 3.2% |
| Secondary Teaching Profs | 606 | 3.1% |
| Office Clerks | 582 | 3.0% |
| General Managers | 516 | 2.7% |
| Sales Representatives | 483 | 2.5% |
| Computer Equip. Controllers | 438 | 2.3% |
| Other Business Professionals | 384 | 2.0% |
| Waiters and Bartenders | 372 | 1.9% |
| Tertiary Teaching Professionals | 291 | 1.5% |
| Accounting & Bookkeeping Clerks | 282 | 1.5% |
| Production & Operation Managers | 279 | 1.4% |
| Civil Engineers | 267 | 1.4% |
| Sales and Marketing Managers | 249 | 1.3% |
Top 20 Occupations of Immigrants with Higher Degrees in 2001
| Profession | Actual Number of Migrants | Percentage Migrants in this Role |
| Tertiary Teaching Professionals | 1,347 | 9.3% |
| Medical Doctors | 1,164 | 8.1% |
| Computing Professionals | 741 | 5.1% |
| Secondary Teaching Professionals | 642 | 4.4% |
| Office Clerks | 531 | 3.7% |
| Primary Teaching Professionals | 510 | 3.5% |
| Finance & Admin Managers | 504 | 3.5% |
| Other Business Professionals | 414 | 2.9% |
| General Managers | 360 | 2.5% |
| Supply and Distribution Managers | 327 | 2.3% |
| Salespersons & Demonstrators | 288 | 2.0% |
| Accountants | 273 | 1.9% |
| Sales Representatives | 273 | 1.9% |
| Computer Equipment Controllers | 252 | 1.7% |
| Production & Operation Managers | 237 | 1.6% |
| Special Education Professionals | 213 | 1.5% |
| Nursing & Midwifery Professionals | 210 | 1.5% |
| Sales & Marketing Managers | 198 | 1.4% |
| Civil Engineers | 180 | 1.2% |
| Physiotherapists | 177 | 1.2% |
