New migrants picked to help NZ out of recession

Skilled migrants are a “launch pad” for New Zealand’s recovery

With unemployment rates at a record high and some trade unions demanding that the government scale back on the level of skilled migration to protect local workers, British economist Philippe Legrain’s opinion is bound to spark some controversy:

Legrain believes that instead of hindering growth in any way, skilled migrants are, instead, a “launch pad” for a New Zealand’s recovery, calling the reduction of migrant entry numbers a “short-sighted view”.

“Different people, with different experiences, different ideas, different perspectives sparking off each other can create new solutions to problems, can help innovate; and it is precisely in a recession that businesses need to innovate in order to be prepared for the recovery,” commented the economist in an article on Voices of America.

NZ government opposes reducing skilled migrant numbers

New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key isn’t showing signs of scaling back the immigration numbers for the country. In fact, Key was recently quoted saying that New Zealand will not follow Australia in cutting immigration.

“New Zealand needs skilled migrants to grow,” commented Key at a news conference. “We have a skills deficit and while that may abate slightly because of the downturn in the economy and growing unemployment, we still need to make sure we have got enough skills to grow our economy and develop further.”