Skilled migrants make up majority of immigrants to New Zealand

The largest proportion (58%) of permanent migrants in New Zealand is made up of skilled migrants. This is one of the key findings of the first wave of the Longitudinal Immigration Survey: New Zealand (LisNZ), that the Department of Labour (DoL) released in late May 2009.

The LisNZ, jointly developed by the DoL and Statistics New Zealand, is the most comprehensive research study of permanent migrants that has been conducted in New Zealand to date, tracking 7000 people over their first three years as permanent residents in the country.

From where do the migrants originate?

Results of the first study show that the main region of origin for permanent migrants was the UK/ Irish Republic (32%), followed by North Asia (18%) and the Pacific (12%). Over half of these migrants moved to the Auckland region, with the Canterbury and Wellington regions the next most popular.

Why New Zealand?

Permanent migrants revealed themselves to be fans of the ‘try before you buy’ approach: 86% had been to New Zealand and over half had worked in New Zealand prior to gaining residency. Over half (53%) of all migrants had spent more than 12 months in NZ before gaining permanent resident, and almost a third (32%) had spent more than two years here.

The country’s relaxed pace of life and its green environment topped the list of reasons why these migrants chose New Zealand, with 44% and 40% of answers, respectively. New Zealand seems to have been the right choice for them, with most migrants saying that they felt settled or very settled in the country, and 97% saying they were satisfied or very satisfied with their new life.

Both the climate and New Zealand’s natural beauty were top preferences when it came to choosing their new home, with the tax system and the distance from home or family to be at the other end of the scale, as their most disliked factors.

Making connections

It’s true what they say about family and friends always being there to help you, and also it certainly seems to be the case when it comes to moving to another country: 64% of all migrants knew people in New Zealand before taking up permanent residency, and over half of them reported that their main source of information about the country came from family and friends already living in New Zealand.

Educated and experienced migrants

The study also showed that looking at job advertisements was the most common way for migrants to find their first job. The qualifications that the migrants brought from their home countries also helped them finding a job in New Zealand: 62% of migrants had spent 14 years or more in full-time education and 47% held an advanced vocational qualification or university degree. Also, a large proportion (86%) of migrants showed strong English language skills.

Migrants make strong contributions

The help of family and friends, good qualifications and good command of the English language contributed to 62% of migrants having no difficulty finding a job in New Zealand. Of those who had difficulties, the lack of work experience in the country was the most commonly cited reason.

The DoL’s research revealed that migrants to New Zealand make a strong economic contribution to the country. The research findings confirm that:

• “Migrants use their skills in New Zealand. Skilled principal migrants had the highest employment and labour force participation rates and the lowest seeking work rates of all migrant groups. Most skilled principal migrants were working at the same skill level as they did in their previous country.
• “The partners of our new residents also bring valuable skills and experience to New Zealand. The majority of skilled secondary and family partner residents were employed, and forty-two percent of skilled secondary residents held an advanced vocational qualification or a university degree.
• “English language skills contribute to the economic and social integration of migrants by improving their employment opportunities and providing a wider access to social networks”.

Lesley Haines, Group Manager Immigration, commented on the survey results: “The findings in this report suggest that immigration has been good for not only the new residents but also for New Zealand, judging from how well residents have settled and the number of skilled migrants filling shortages in the labour market.

“This research demonstrates that new residents complement the needs of the New Zealand labour force by contributing their valuable skills and experience.

“New migrants also enjoy living here – nearly all of them reported feeling settled and expressed a high level of satisfaction with life in New Zealand.

“Moreover, migrants’ endorsement of New Zealand as a desirable destination is reflected by the large proportion that have already recommended and encouraged other family and friends to come to New Zealand.”

The Department of Labour will release ongoing special topic reports based on the data from LisNZ to address areas of priority.

SOURCE: Immigration New Zealand