Are you looking for employment in New Zealand? Below are the top professions with skill shortages, including the complete Green List.
If your position is on the skill shortage list, you can fast-track your profession or relocation to New Zealand. As the world economy continues to grow, New Zealand’s employment market is undergoing major modifications, navigated by technological progressions and adjusting sector demands. This special setting has generated stellar professional prospects for experienced migrants, expats, and international citizens seeking to relocate to New Zealand.
Discovering employment in a high-demand industry can be a game-changer if you consider relocating. It can make it simpler to get an employment visa and fast-track your residency.
MAJOR IMMIGRATION CHANGES IN 2025: SIMPLER VISA PATHWAYS FOR MIGRANTS
From 10 March 2025, New Zealand will launch many major modifications that will simplify the process for experienced employees and international experts to get a work visa. The most predominant modification is the decreased job skill conditions. The needed job skill for experienced migrants will be decreased from 36 months to 24 months, making it faster to be eligible for visas.
ALSO SEE: HOW TO APPLY FOR A NEW ZEALAND WORK VISA IN 2025
Initially, relocation routes for New Zealand employees depended on the Long Term skill shortages list, the Regional Skill Shortage List, and the Construction and Infrastructure Skill Shortage List (particular to Canterbury). Hence, with the reopening of New Zealand’s immigration program post-pandemic, these have been facilitated into the Green List. This eased system evidently highlights the professions in the highest demand. The Green List classifications professions in high demand, with Tier 1 positions providing a direct route to residence and Tier 2 positions offering a work-to-residence pathway. This is ideal news for expats, international citizens, and immigrants seeking to relocate to New Zealand.
Another important modification for 2025 is the launch of tighter laws around immigration recommendations. From 31 March, any visa request prepared by an uncertified adviser will be automatically refused or revoked.
Again, crucial for migrants and their employers is the rise in New Zealand’s minimum income to $23.50 hourly from 1 April 2025, which guarantees that job conditions stay fair and align with immigration adherence standards.
Furthermore, to modifications around the Green List and job skills, Immigration New Zealand is also updating Interim Visa requirements from 8 April 2025, making it simpler for Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) candidates to continue working while waiting for judgment.
These policy updates ease the procedure for experienced experts to get employment and residency in New Zealand. If your profession is on the Green List, you can benefit from these prospects to develop a future in one of the world’s most desirable nations to reside and work.
In this article, we will investigate the top in-demand jobs in New Zealand for skilled migrants and assist you in recognizing major industries where you can fast-track your visa request and profession.
IN-DEMAND JOBS IN NEW ZEALAND IN 2025: JOBS THAT PROVIDE VISA SPONSORSHIP
There are currently many employment openings and hundreds of various fields with skill shortages in New Zealand. Below are some of the professions most in demand in New Zealand.
- Registered Nurses
New Zealand has had a national shortage of nurses for years, and this has only become worse since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to this, the government frequently attempts to get more nurses to relocate to the country to assist with openings in the pressured clinics around the nation. Nursing employment in New Zealand can comprise aged care nursing, pediatric nursing, mental health nursing, surgical nursing, and others.
The average salary for healthcare employees is about NZD $64,000 annually, or about NZD $135,000 for skilled senior nurses. To receive a working visa in New Zealand as a nurse, you are required to be enrolled with the Nursing Council of New Zealand, which may also require up to 3 years of skills and a Competence Assessment scheme.
- General practitioners
General practitioners are another highly demanded occupation in New Zealand. With the number of general practitioners predicted to decrease in the next ten years, the government has placed this crucial occupation on the long-term skill shortage list. The major position of General Practitioners is in local healthcare hubs across the nation.
Eligible doctors in this position commonly get paid between NZD $145,000 and NZD $210,000, while people employed in private hospitals can get paid more. In several cases, enrolling with the Medical Council of New Zealand may be the only condition for relocating as a general practitioner.
- Teachers and educators
Any nation with a young population is frequently needs more tutors. New Zealand requires so many teachers, therefore it is simple in several cases to move into the nation. This can be a preschool teacher, a primary school or high school educator, or a university lecturer. Being a high school educator with about five years of experience, you can make about NZD $58,000 to NZD $71,000. However, you can earn more with more years of skill, or if you occupy the position of a Head of Department, and more if you work in a private institution.
- ICT, communications, and electronics
Electronic experts are in high demand in New Zealand. All local enterprises currently require web pages and other electronic and software to run their businesses. To ensure these are functioning, people are required. Web developers, ICT project supervisors, ICT security experts, software developers, database administrators, and multimedia experts are among the professions in high demand.
The average income for information technology experts in New Zealand is NZD, which is $124,000.
- Jockeys, skydivers, and other outdoor leisure employees
New Zealand has a significant outdoor and adventure industry. Individuals who are experienced at skydiving and snow sport teaching are in high demand, as are horse hockey players and trainers.
Outdoor educators can earn about NZD $44,000 to NZD $58,000 annually.
- Truck drivers
Truck drivers are the support system of any nation, including New Zealand. They are often required in different positions, such as intercity postal delivery, construction materials delivery, and more.
The average yearly income for truck driver jobs in New Zealand ranges from $55,000 to $65,000.
- Agriculture and forestry
Agriculture and forestry are New Zealand’s biggest industries. Due to this, there is an increased demand for dairy farmers and other farmers such as beekeepers, arborists, gardeners, winemakers, and vets.
They earn an income of NZD $60,000 to NZD $100,000 annually.
- Manufacturing experts
Various production professions are in high demand throughout New Zealand. These include composite technicians, plastic technicians, metal fabricators, and sheet metal trades employees.
They are paid about NZD $40,000 to NZD $75,000.
- Automotive expert
Automotive electricians, car painters, panel beaters, and diesel motor mechanics are frequently in demand throughout the nation, so they are also on the skill shortage lists. All four of these employments are reimbursed hourly, with car electricians being reimbursed the highest at NZD $24 to NZD $44 hourly.
- Scientists
Several other science professions can also be a route into New Zealand. These include environmental scientists, food technologists, and spatial scientists. Like with several other professions in this list, the incomes can differ based on your firm and position; however, the average income for science employment in New Zealand is NZD $84,000 annually.
- Chef
Chefs are regularly required in hotels and restaurants in tourism centers such as Queenstown to provide tourists with a great culinary experience. The hourly rate for a chef is about NZD $23 to NZD $38.
- Accountants and procurement managers
Accountants and procurement managers are other professions important to growing a nation’s economy. Accountants manage firms’ funds, while procurement managers manage firms’ supply chains and manufacturing. The average income for an accountant in New Zealand is about NZD $82,000 to NZD $90,000 annually.
- Electricians and plumbers
Electricians and plumbers are always required in big cities. They are required for frequent repairs in several buildings and also for new construction. Due to this, they are in high demand throughout all cities and towns. Often, they are paid hourly, so their income can range from about NZD $33 to NZD $39 hourly, depending on their skills.
- Surveyors
The rise in building around New Zealand has caused a shortage of surveyors. This is mostly the situation in the biggest city of Auckland. Eligible foreign employees can come to the nation to work as land surveyors or quantity surveyors. The income range for these professions is from about NZD $45,000 to NZD $95,000 annually.
- Electrical and telecommunications engineering
Electrical and telecommunication engineers are becoming very important as the world depends on electronic infrastructure to grow. These engineers are required after major events such as big weather or earthquakes that destroy any power or communication networks. They earn about NZD $65,000 to NZD $140,000 annually.
- Engineering experts
There are several employment opportunities in engineering. New Zealand is a leader in some fields of engineering, so many jobs are available to migrants with the ideal experience. These include chemical, environmental, material, electrical, and industrial engineering. Incomes vary from about NZD $60,000 to NZD $100,000 annually, with prospects to earn more funds based on your firm.
- Midwives
There is presently a shortage of midwives in some parts of New Zealand. As a midwife, you can decide to work as a self-employed nurse; however, reimbursement in a clinic or firm can be higher if you have the necessary skills. The average salary for a midwife is about NZD $70,000 to NZD $140,000 annually.
- Other medical occupations
There are several other medical occupations for which you can relocate to New Zealand. Several professions are under pressure as clinics and hospitals look after an increasingly aging population. For general medical professions, the average income is about NZD $64,000, and it can be much higher in most occupations.
THE FULL LIST NEW ZEALAND SKILL SHORTAGE LIST
Below is the complete list of professions in high demand on the New Zealand Green List, which includes the Tier 1 and Tier 2 professions shortage lists.
The green list is separated into Tier 1 and Tier 2 positions.
- Tier 1 professions permit qualified migrants to apply for straight-to-residence visas, offering a fast-track route to permanent residency.
- Tier 2 professions are eligible for the work-to-residence route, which implies that skilled employees can apply for residency after securing 24 months of job experience in New Zealand.
If your position is mentioned and you possess the needed certifications, enrollment, and skills, you may be able to obtain residence instantly or after 24 months of working in New Zealand.
- Engineering
- Agriculture and forestry
- Manufacturing
- Construction and infrastructure
- Science
- Telecommunications
- Civil engineer
- Quantity surveyor
- Building engineer
- Civil engineering technician
- Automotive service technicians and mechanics
- Procurement manager
- Anaesthetic technician
- Electrical engineering technician
- Anaesthesiologist
- Construction building associates
- Civil engineering draughtperson
- Electrical
- Early childhood (pre-primary tutor) 241111
- Analyst programmer
- Materials engineer
- Diary farm manager
- Environmental engineer
tidanko