Vietnamese engineers: could New Zealand's huge project list open a door for you?

Tips · 2026-08-20 · 3 min read

Are you an engineer, a project manager or a tradesperson? Then New Zealand may interest you. The country has a lot of building work planned. It does not have enough skilled people to do it. This guide explains the facts in simple words.

How big is the work?

New Zealand has close to $200 billion of committed and planned infrastructure projects. These include roads, rail, water systems and energy upgrades. Money alone cannot build them. The country also needs people with the right skills.

Why are there not enough workers?

Here are the facts:

Construction employment fell 3.5% in the year to March 2025. Over two years the sector lost around 16,000 jobs.
Roughly 46,400 New Zealand citizens left the country on a net basis in the year to September 2025. Most went to Australia.
The sector needs around 2,300 new engineers each year. It is not getting close to that.
A third of new engineering graduates leave the profession within two years.
About one in three engineers working in New Zealand trained overseas. So the country already depends on skilled migrants.

A lesson from one big project

The Auckland City Rail Link is a well-known example. When the tunnelling ended, more than 100 tunnel boring machine operators left New Zealand. Now the country may want those skills again, for a future Waitematā Harbour crossing. It will have to build the team again. The lesson is clear. Steady work keeps skilled people. A big list of plans is not enough.

Will demand grow?

Yes, forecasts say so. Infrastructure activity is expected to grow from $16.9 billion in 2024 to $19.6 billion by 2030. Total construction spending reached $55.7 billion in 2025. In transport, officials expected the sector to need around 65,000 workers by 2026/27. A few years earlier it was 40,000. This is faster than local workers can supply.

What can you do now?

When employers compete for a small group of qualified people, migrant workers can have better chances. Results can differ, but preparing early always helps. Try these steps:

Keep your degree or vocational certificate safe. In New Zealand it may be checked through qualification recognition. Some trades, such as electrical and plumbing work, also need occupational registration.
Get certified English translations of your Vietnamese documents when the visa rules ask for them.
Check if you need an English test such as IELTS or PTE.
If a police certificate is requested, ask for the Judicial Record Certificate No. 2 (Phiếu lý lịch tư pháp số 2).

Please stay safe

Deal only with licensed organisations and real employers. Never pay an unlicensed broker. Be careful with anyone who asks for money upfront to "secure" a job or a visa.

The official New Zealand visas page shows the visa types. The gap will not close quickly, so you have time to prepare well.

#engineers #new zealand #infrastructure #vietnamese workers #skilled migration