Job Checks: A Guide For NZ Employers

Contents: 

• What’s the purpose of a job check?
• What are the rules around job checks?
• What evidence should be provided in a job check?
• What are some of the mistakes that are frequently made with job checks?
• What’s the next step after a job check?

Once an employer is accredited, the next step in hiring migrant workers is to complete a job check for every position you’re recruiting for.

What’s the purpose of a job check?

The Government’s current approach to immigration – specifically, recruiting migrant workers – is that it’s employer led. Therefore it’s up to employers to prove that there are no suitably qualified New Zealanders available for jobs that are being recruited. And that’s where the job check comes in: you need to advertise the roles you’re recruiting for, and keep records of the responses. 

What are the rules around job checks?

The job you’re recruiting for must be: 

• Full-time, i.e. 30 or more hours per week. 
• Paid at least monthly. 
• Roles must be paid the medium wage, unless it’s on the exemption list with a lower wage threshold. The lower threshold applies mostly to the tourism, hospitality, care workforce, on-shore based seafood processing, construction, infrastructure, meat processing, seasonal snow and adventure tourism sectors.
• Advertised with an explicit pay rate, unless it’s paying double the median wage or more. 
• Conform to all New Zealand employment laws and have a legally compliant employment agreement and job description. 

There’s no need to complete job checks if the remuneration is double (or more) the median wage, or if the occupation is on the Green List.

What evidence should be provided in a job check?

Job check requirements can be complex if you’re not used to managing them, especially as your documents and processes need to meet the needs of both Immigration NZ and all relevant New Zealand employment laws. This is particularly important when submitting the job description and the draft, unsigned employment agreement. Our People Inc partner, ConsultingHQ, works closely with us on job checks to ensure the documentation meets all the requirements. 

 You also need to provide evidence of  labour market testing – i.e. details of the advertising for the roles you’re recruiting for, plus the responses received. This process needs to be carefully planned and managed, and the advertising needs to run for an appropriate length of time.  

Save stress and time, and get it right first time – contact us for help with your job checks. 

What are some of the mistakes that are frequently made with job checks?

Some of the common issues encountered with job checks include: 

• Indicating that a qualification is required for the position, but the potential employee doesn’t hold that qualification. 
• Offering pay to a potential employee that’s more than the maximum pay rate indicated in the job check. 
• The employment agreement doesn’t cover all the clauses required by law, or includes clauses that don’t apply. 
• Not advertising in locations where the potential employee is required to work. 
• Not requesting sufficient job check tokens.  
• Submitting more job check requests than the number of jobs associated with your employer accreditation.
• Not including mandatory information on advertisements. 
• Including multiple positions in a job check, but the location of the roles varies, and not all locations were advertised.

If you need any help with job checks, or have had a job check declined, please contact us for help.

What’s the next step after a job check?

Once your job check has been approved, your potential new employee can apply for their Accredited Employer Work Visa.

Together with our People Inc partners, we provide an end-to-end service covering all aspects of international recruitment – from accreditation, job checks, visas, recruitment, and HR – and you’d have a single point of contact through the entire process.