An army of more than 13,000 professionals have applied for construction jobs in New Zealand, following an unprecedented global recruitment campaign.

LookSeeBuild NZ was backed by more than 20 of the country's leading building firms to fill a skill shortage of engineers, surveyors, project managers and other construction professionals.

It's estimated that New Zealand needs another 56,000 construction workers, including 2200 high-end specialists, to complete the $125 billion of instruction work that lies ahead over the next 10 years.

The campaign initially targeted Britain and the United Arab Emirates, then extended to the US and South Africa, but applications have come from other corners of the world including the Philippines and Singapore.

LookSeeBuild NZ spokesman and construction consultant Aaron Muir said the recruitment response meant "we will now have key talent with experience in mega-projects from every country on earth".

He said it had been surprising to see the strong level of interest, particularly from South Africa,

"We're also still desperately seeking American seismic expertise because of the ongoing impacts of the earthquakes in Christchurch and Kaikoura."

New Zealand's biggest infrastructure and housing build in history was ahead of it and so the campaign would be ongoing, he said.

Some of the applicants are extremely well-qualified include a professional who played a key role in the 1km-high Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia, destined to be the tallest building in the world when completed.

Other applicants included people who have held senior roles for Macau's luxury resort, the Wynn Palace, Singapore's Marina Bay Sands, London Underground's renewals section and the Shard in London.

Master Builders Association chief executive David Kelly said their impact on New Zealand's construction industry would be significant, even if many of them did not stay in the long term.

"These are people who have worked on some of the biggest and most complex builds in the world and they will be able to pass on new ways of doing things, suggest new technology and devise creative and ingenious solutions to complex problems."

The more than 13,000 applicants are now being screened to match their skills with the jobs available and will be registered in the LookSeeBuild NZ database.

The first batch of registered applicants will arrive in January, with more to follow in February as part of a special week when they will be able to choose a free Kiwi experience such as fishing, surfing, or wine tasting.

Those who do get a job will have their fare repaid.