12th May 2022 By Staff Reporter | news@foodticker.co.nz | @foodtickernz
The hospitality industry says changes to migrant worker settings will be a welcome relief for businesses struggling to fill vacancies as the country’s border restrictions ease.
Hospitality New Zealand chief executive Julie White welcomed the temporary exemption from paying the median wage of $27.76 to recruit migrants on the Accredited Employer Work Visa at the lower threshold of $25 until April 2023.
“But the reality is we need people now,” White said. “This remains an additional cost for businesses to absorb, and will most likely come at the expense of paying Kiwis less.”
Restaurant Association chief executive Marisa Bidois said the changes looked promising and “the announcement to extend some essential skills visas is also welcome news for our sector”.
“We still have a number of ongoing concerns around the rebalance settings and what this will mean for our industry, and we look forward to meeting with ministers in the coming weeks to further discussions about the future of hospitality in Aotearoa.”
