Telecommunications is a fast-changing, and rapidly-expanding industry, which is suffering from skill shortages.
The following telecommunications jobs appear on Immigration New Zealand’s immediate and long term skill shortage lists:
If a job is on the skill shortage list it means that the Government is actively encouraging skilled people in that role to come and work in New Zealand.
However, for other jobs there are few vacancies. For example, jobs for paid radio operators are limited and only two or three vacancies occur each year.
One reason for the shortage of skilled telecommunications workers was the deregulation of the industry in the 1990s, which meant New Zealand moved from having one company offering telecommunications services to several. This led to a seven-year gap in apprenticeships, which caused a decrease in the number of people employed in this industry.
Number of people employed in selected telecommunications occupations| Census Date | Telecommunications Technicians | Telecommunications Engineers | Line Mechanics |
|---|
| 1996 | 3501 | 1227 | 1977 |
| 2001 | 2706 | 1767 | 1971 |
| 2006 | 2163 | 2025 | 2121 |
| Source: Department of Labour, Jobs and Tertiary Education Indicator Tool |
Since then, new technology, such as broadband, and the growth in popularity of cellphones has created new job opportunities for technicians and other telecommunications workers.
However, employers struggle to fill some new positions. The training gap means there are too few new entrants coming into the industry to meet demand and replace those who have left or retired.
The telecommunications industry employs more than 6,300 people. Jobs can be found throughout New Zealand, but most are in large population centres, and about 82 percent of the workforce is in the North Island:
- Auckland (52%)
- Wellington (21%)
- Waikato (6%)
- Bay of Plenty (4%).
Most of the remainder of people in the industry (15%) work in Canterbury in the South Island.
