Businesses hope to employ more migrants after changes to work visas.  

The Government's updating the Accredited Employer Work Visa in March, removing the median wage threshold and reducing minimum experience requirements for lower skill roles.  

They'll also reduce the minimum threshold for how many domestic workers must be employed. 

BusinessNZ Chief Executive Katherine Rich told Heather du Plessis-Allan it’s a step in the right direction. 

She says there are a lot of areas where businesses can’t get the skills and experience they need, and the changes Stanford is making will be react welcomed. 

Rich says the median wage threshold was too high, and wound up being an artificial proxy for skill and experience. 

She says in some cases it resulted in offshore applicants being paid more than their Kiwi counterparts, creating a bit of friction. 

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