UK construction workers needed for New Zealand earthquake rebuilding

Thousands of people working in the UK construction sector could be heading off to New Zealand next year, to help with the recovery from the earthquakes that hit the country in 2010 and 2011.

Major rebuilding efforts are ongoing in the devastated city of Christchurch, with the cost estimated to be over £15bn. However, with the reconstruction still not having reached a peak, the country’s government is expecting another 24,000 workers to be needed in 2013.

Of these, there are a potential 23,000 posts being taken up by construction workers from the UK. Expertise is needed at every level, from concrete flooring to roofing. Architects, carpenters, engineers and managers are all required.

Talking about the recruitment drive, Paul Arthur, the director of UK-based The Emigration Group, said:

“For skilled construction workers looking to further their career and have an improved lifestyle, now is the time to emigrate.”

With labourers, paint-workers and plumbers also keenly required, Arthur continued to say that there was unlikely to be a better opportunity for those in construction looking to emigrate.

Following the earthquakes that struck the city in September 2010 and February 2011, thousands of buildings were destroyed. More still were damaged following aftershocks, which are still ongoing to this day.

Over the next four years, work will see repairs to somewhere in the region of 100,000 private homes, while a further 10,000 new homes are to be created. With new business premises needed too, the project is set to continue until near 2030

A full list of skills that are sought has been published by the New Zealand government.