Ever since Filipino migrant workers are the top choice for companies from countries around the world because Filipinos are trustworthy and hardworking individuals. What is it for New Zealanders or preferably called Kiwis? First, it is important to know the values we have in common. Both Filipinos and Kiwis value friendship and have can-do-attitude in the work environment.
Though there has been an increment growth of Filipino migrants in New Zealand mainly for employment opportunities, not many New Zealand companies hire Filipino workers because of the impression that recruiting from overseas are too complicated and aren’t cost-effective especially for small businesses. Some have seen it as an inviable option until the needs have become critical in several areas including the construction, telecom, agriculture, healthcare and even in the IT industry have grown.
So How Can I Recruit Filipino Migrant Workers?
The only question to ask when employing Overseas Filipino Workers is, are you financially capable of bearing all the employer cost before and throughout the employment contract? If YES, then let’s go down a little more detailed.
For the entire recruiting process, candidates only bear the cost for obtaining credentials and the rest must be shouldered by the employer as expected by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), the central governing body for Overseas Filipino Workers. Also, New Zealand is a ‘no placement country’ so employers must also cover the service fee of hiring a recruitment agency in the Philippines.
Working with a Recruitment Agency in the Philippines
Since there is no government-to-government agreement in employing Filipino workers, New Zealand employers must work with recruitment agencies in the Philippines. However, there are only 20+ recruitment agencies that are authorized to deploy workers in New Zealand as released by the POEA. You can also check the full and updated list published here where PNI International is also listed.
PNI International, a POEA licensed recruitment agency is one of the leading recruitment agencies in the Philippines. Based in Manila, PNI International prides itself to be the manpower agency of choice for some of the world’s recognized companies, having able to deploy thousands of Filipino skilled workers and professionals in countries such as the US, UK, Canada, Australia, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and New Zealand.
Over the past years, we have increased our deployment in New Zealand with a significant volume of placing telecom engineers and technicians for the country’s largest telecom company. We’ve seen the growth potentials for other industries that’s why we’ve put together a team to take on New Zealand market and add up to our hundreds of candidates deployed in New Zealand.
When working with us, we start first by identifying the job specifications as well as understanding the unique culture of your organization. We actively source candidates from our database and send screened profiles for shortlisting. We will be with you throughout the entire recruitment process even outside working hours just to fill the gap in our time zone. Once we receive the shortlisted candidates, we will proceed to face-to-face interviews with you and the candidates, and trade tests as required before the final selection takes place. Lastly, we can arrange some work-fun activities when you still have time whilst you’re in the Philippines. Sounds exciting, aye?
Be an Accredited Employer
Before you with any recruitment engagement in the Philippines, you must secure first an Approval in Principle (AIP) from Immigration New Zealand. It is an application where the immigration grants the employer permission to hire overseas workers as long as you are able to meet the qualifications and provide the necessary documents. We recommend you to apply ahead of time so you don’t have to wait when we are about to lodge the visa application for your selected candidates.
The process begins with verification from the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO). For New Zealand employers, you can head to the newly opened POLO office in Wellington. You can also get accredited at the office of the Philippine Consul General in Auckland or Christchurch. So what documents to submit to the POLO or the Consul General? Your recruitment partner will send you the documents for you to finalize and submit. Below is the comprehensive list specific to New Zealand employers:
- Job order and manpower request
- Special power of attorney
- Master employment contract
- Recruitment service agreement
- Contingency plan
- Visa guarantee assurance
- Affidavit of assumption of responsibilities
- Affidavit of undertaking to monitor Overseas Filipino Workers
- Copy of business license and valid signatory identification
Once the documents get stamped by POLO, you will have to courier them back to the Philippines. Your recruiting agency will course through the documents to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA). Once verified, the recruitment process and the rest shall now be easy.
The Deployment Process
We assume that you already have finalized the selection of candidates you want to bring in to New Zealand. Now, we head to the visa application where approval will only take a few weeks when there are no issues found. The candidates selected shall submit the required documents and employment credentials. The candidates will then be scheduled for a medical test as a requirement as required by INZ. PNI International has only accredited St. Luke’s Medical Center’s clinic, a top healthcare institution in the Philippines with sites in Quezon City and Taguig. Once the visa application is successful, it’s time to book flight tickets for your new hires. When everything is in place, the candidates must obtain an Overseas Employment Certificate before their departure.
The key to bringing in Filipino workers to New Zealand is when you can provide guarantee and assurance in line with the Philippine labor laws. Everything must be stipulated on the employment contract and must be specific to every worker you hire. From a recruitment agency’s perspective, our guarantee when you hire Filipino workers is the high return-on-investment as what most employers have experienced.