DILI, 16 january 2025 (TATOLI) – The government of Timor-Leste and New Zealand will discuss the labor mobility agreement next month.
Secretary of State for Vocational Training and Employment, Rogério Araújo Mendonça, made the statement on wednesday.
Mendoça said that New Zealand wants to recruit 27,000 workers from Asia-Pacific, which includes Timor-Leste.
“In february, we will be coordinating with the New Zealand team to discuss necessary preparations for signing a Memorandum of Understanding on labor mobility,” said Mendonça said.
He said that Timorese workers have a positive reputation for being hard-working, willing to learn, friendly, and respectful, saying therefore New Zealand companies want to hire workers from Timor-Leste.
In august 2024, the New Zealand government changed the policy of the Recognized Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme and added Timor-Leste as a participating country.
Timor-Leste has always been a part of Australia’s PALM scheme (formerly the Short-term Seasonal Worker Program and Longer-term Pacific Labor Scheme), alongside the same Pacific countries that participate in the RSE scheme.
Between 2023-24, 17,599 workers arrived in New Zealand under the CSR scheme and the number is expected to increase in the next financial year.
TATOLI