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IT workers struggling in New Zealand's tight job market

Job seekers say the tech job market is a "nightmare", citing fierce competition and a shortage of opportunities that have made finding employment increasingly difficult.

Zhang said one factor behind his decision to seek work in New Zealand's technology sector was the so-called "curse of 35" - a term widely used in China to describe age discrimination in the tech industry, where workers over 35 often face greater risk of layoffs and increasing difficulty securing new roles. Cooley said immigrants faced greater challenges securing interviews in New Zealand, as the job market has been flooded with candidates in recent years due to economic downturns, large-scale restructures and widespread redundancies. Shay Peters, chief executive at recruitment agency Robert Walters Australia and New Zealand, agreed that visa restrictions remained a significant barrier for immigrants seeking work in the tech sector.

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