Jobs in New Zealand

New Zealand has been having a major problem with unemployment like other countries the past few decades. It hit its highest level in the year 1992 when around 11 % of the New Zealand work force was out of a job. By 2001 it had dropped to only 5 %, and by 2005 it fell to a low point of only 3.6 % overall, although it still remained at 11 % among the Maori population living in New Zealand. Two sectors where employment prospects and demand for skilled professionals are considered to be the best in the country are Information Technology, and Accounting. There is also a demand caused by a shortage of qualified medical professionals in New Zealand. The New Zealand government department of Immigration operates an online internet web site that provides lists of all the sorts of jobs in New Zealand where there is a greater demand for skilled personnel. Salaries are generally higher in the major cities of New Zealand, Wellington and Auckland, than they are in the countryside. The minimum wage for employees who work in New Zealand that is required by law as of 2005 is $9.50 per hour. However, those who are under the age of 18 years old and working a job in New Zealand may be paid as little as $7.60 an hour.