Hundreds of foreign-trained nurses queued for hours to get into a healthcare job fair at the Auckland Pullman hotel today, hoping against the odds to be hired.
The line snaked along the corridor and up the stairs long before the Healthcare Job Fair opened at 10am today, full of health professionals desperate for work.
Among them were twins Tiffany and Michelle Maningo, who spent two hours in the queue after flying up from Wellington this morning.
They shared their story of job-hunting with 1News last week. The fair was something the twins had hoped would see them matched with an employer, but while standing in the corridor, they were told the wait might not be worth it if they didn’t already have sponsorship.
"I’m overwhelmed," Tiffany Maningo said.
"There are so many people, we didn’t expect there to be this much.
"But we came here for the sole purpose of joining the event, so you know, it’s worth a try."
Healthdaq managing director Nathan Cox, who organised the fair, said the sheer numbers reflect the reduced demand from New Zealand employers.
"Everyone I speak to at the moment, they are not hiring. They are full up and they don’t need the same number that they did 24 months ago."
The number of vacancies in New Zealand has dropped back in recent months as thousands of migrant nurses arrived onshore.
A large number are internationally qualified nurses who trained outside of places like Australia, the US, the UK, Ireland, Singapore, or Canada.
While they have the qualifications, their registration cannot be directly transferred over. The nurses must first come here to be assessed on a student visa before they can apply for work. As a result, many have reported struggling to find employers willing to sponsor them.
Just three of the recruiters at today’s health fair were New Zealand-based. The rest were from Australia.
Australian recruiters said the job market painted a different picture across the Tasman, where there are still ample opportunities for nurses looking for work.
Western Australia's Aboriginal Health Council chief executive Des Martin said he had seen a good quality of nurses coming through today and is hoping to snap up as many as he can.
"We’ve got a number of vacancies we are hoping to fill."
He said he plans to return next year to snap up more of those New Zealand will not.
Limestone Coast mental health director Pauline Beach said she was overwhelmed to see so many potential applicants but hoped to be able to hire a few.
"We have got some critical areas to fill, so we are conducting interviews as well today," she said.
"We certainly have a lot within our region, probably looking for about 50 or so nurses currently."
However, it is unlikely these recruiters will be able to find work for all who turned up at today’s fair.
Registered nurse Alphonse Dominic has six years of experience in transplants, intensive and critical care, but has been unable to find a job in New Zealand.
He’s spent $45,000 – five years worth of savings – to come here.
Dominic, who spent $45,000 – five years worth of savings – to come here, said the fair is his last chance to find someone willing to hire him before his visa runs out.
However, he’s also realistic that it might not be enough before he flies back to India on September 15.
"I don’t know how I can go back to India without a job," he said.
"It’s a real struggle and heartbreaking that after spending so much money, I don’t have a job."
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