Abstract

Employability challenges faced by workers are common in many labour markets and can occur for reasons such as language barriers, immigration regulations, and dis-equilibrium of supply and demand for jobs. This can be a significant challenge for migrant workers who have moved to a foreign country in search of jobs. This research seeks to identify the employability challenges faced by migrant knowledge workers including those who have the required prerequisites for relevant jobs in their respective fields but have difficulty securing jobs. The internal and external challenges faced by employees, the roadblocks set by employers, and other government regulations on migrant workers are key factors needing to be assessed. Also, how language, communication, and country-specific work experience affect employability, and how networking and some other key factors can help overcome the challenges also need to be considered. New Zealand is predominantly a migrant-dependent nation with almost 25% of the population being migrant workers (Stats NZ, 2018a). Around 2% of these are Sri Lankans, and many of them are knowledge workers possessing the required qualifications and experience for employment (Stats NZ, 2018b). Hence the main objectives of this research wee to identify employability challenges faced by Sri Lankan migrant knowledge workers in the fields of finance and business management in New Zealand and determine how these employability challenges can be overcome.

Keywords:
employability challenges, migrant knowledge workers, Sri Lankan migrants.

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