New Zealand is short of thousands of engineers - here's how it's closing the gap

Every year, New Zealand is short of around 1,500 to 2,300 of the engineers it needs to meet industry demands and support economic growth.

It needs at least 1,500 to replace those leaving the workforce through retirement or career shifts.

This skills shortage isn’t new, but it is getting worse.

It impacts our ability to deliver large-scale infrastructure projects because of recruitment delays, training costs, and most importantly, the project expertise lost when people leave the industry.

Why is New Zealand struggling to close the skills gap?

Historically, the additional engineers needed came through the education system, as well as immigration. But we’re facing challenges in these areas.

In October 2023, the New Zealand government changed to a centre-right coalition.

Central and local government dramatically reduced investment in infrastructure across transport, water, health, education, and social housing.

This has resulted in a loss of over 12,000 people in the building and construction workforce.

The downturn has lasted nearly two years. Engineers have been lost through firms having to restructure. Staff have left for opportunities overseas. Graduates are not being recruited, and there is constant change in vocational education.

What’s working

To address this long-term issue, we’ve worked with Waihanga Ara Rau and ACE New Zealand to develop a long-term skills action plan.

Waihanga Ara Rau is a workforce development council: a government entity that ensures qualifications align with industry demands and provides industries and employers with more influence in vocational education.

The Association of Consulting and Engineering (ACE) New Zealand is the consultants’ champion.

This non-profit organisation represents businesses that employ engineers, project managers, planners, scientists, architects, surveyors, and other technical disciplines that provide specialist services across the built and natural environment.

The action plan covers primary and secondary education, tertiary education (universities, colleges, vocational schools), the workforce, and migrants.

Below are a few of the key actions underway as part of the plan:

Primary and secondary education

• The Wonder Project – Engineering New Zealand: a free schools programme designed to inspire young students about STEM
• Advocacy and support for the Ministry of Education to improve the STEM curriculum
• Support for under-represented groups to enter STEM education
• Support for STEM teachers
• Research into educational and vocational pathways from school to tertiary
• Exploring work-learning options, with a focus on civil and electrical engineering

Tertiary education

• Maintain our international accreditation programme through the International Engineering Alliance
• Provide free student membership of Engineering New Zealand and support and train students in professional skills
• Develop a work-integrated model for the New Zealand Diploma in Engineering

Workforce

• Continue to support The Diversity Agenda, a programme that includes Te Kāhui Whaihanga, the New Zealand Institute of Architects, and supports firms to become more diverse and inclusive
• Advocating for Infrastructure Pipeline stability
• Encouraging people from Māori and Pacific cultures into engineering through various initiatives, including workforce planning
• Work to unlock the potential of disabled people in the construction and infrastructure sector through research and the development of disability action plans

Migrants

• Supporting the Special Interest Group for Immigrant Engineers (SIGIE) which assists immigrant engineers in their search for professional employment
• Advocate for responsive immigration settings and work with relevant agencies to address workforce needs

What could be improved

Consistency of government policy.

New Zealand’s vocational education sector is facing profound change.

Three years after the government merged all the polytechnics, it’s currently splitting them up again at considerable cost.

Having developed a successful partnership with industry via the workforce development councils, the government is disestablishing them to create industry skills boards (ISBs). This splits engineering across five ISBs, with total funding halved.

This will make current progress very difficult to sustain.

Engineers are essential to solve infrastructure challenges

New Zealand currently faces many challenges with infrastructure delivery.

These were highlighted by our independent infrastructure commission’s recently released draft 30-year plan.

We spend more than most countries on infrastructure, and our needs for it are growing.

At the same time, we don’t get enough value for every dollar we spend on it, and it’s difficult to build, maintain and operate.

It's time to get smarter about how we do infrastructure.

The engineering profession has a key role in answering all these challenges and that’s what we’re committed to doing.

After all, we are engineers: we love complex problems.

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