78% of New Zealand employees would move overseas for work

PRESS RELEASE

Thursday 5th May 2011

78% of New Zealand employees would move overseas for Work

Over 78% of New Zealand employees would move overseas to pursue a new career opportunity, according to a recent Employee Insights Survey conducted by leading international recruitment consultancy Robert Walters.

When asked which factor would most influence them to move overseas, respondents overwhelmingly cited better salaries/incentives as their main motivation (55%), followed by the opportunity to travel (16%); the opportunity to gain international experience (13%); the opportunity to work for bigger companies (10%) and finally, moving closer to family/friends (6%).

Australia was the most popular destination for an overseas move (36%), followed by Europe (27%), the Americas (10%); Asia (7%) and Africa (1%). 19% did not specify a preferred destination.

According to Robert Walters’ Managing Director – New Zealand, Richard Manthel, these figures indicate that employers will face increased challenges when it comes to securing and retaining top talent in an already candidate-short market.

“Organisations across all industries will face an acute skills shortage in 2011, which will be exacerbated by the desire of employees to pursue new opportunities overseas. As the war for talent intensifies, employers will need to increase their focus on developing effective retention strategies to avoid losing key employees.” A survey of Australian workers also found that 78% of employees would move overseas to pursue a new career opportunity. However, the reasons for moving differed slightly, with 42% citing better salaries, followed by the opportunity to work for a larger company (17%) and moving close to family and friends (15%). Europe was the most popular destination for an overseas move (37%), followed by Asia (30%) and the Americas (13%).

-ENDS

About Robert Walters Robert Walters is one of the leading international recruitment consultancies, with a network of 43 offices spanning 20 countries, including the United Kingdom, Ireland, Continental Europe, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, South Africa and South America. In New Zealand, we have offices in Auckland and Wellington.

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