NZ government states no immigration rule changes in spite of migrant surge

In spite of a surge in the numbers of migrants entering the country, the New Zealand government has no plans to change immigration rules.

New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Keys stated earlier this week that the country’s economy is growing steadily, with its labour market suffering severe skills shortages as a result. Unemployment is falling, he continued, adding that companies are still desperately searching for highly-skilled expat workers, particularly in the engineering and ICT sectors.

The challenge at present, according to Keys, is keeping up and even increasing New Zealand’s annual four per cent growth rate. Net migration is totalling around 38,000 annually, he said, and emphasised that there is no need to change the rules as previous changes are ensuring a choice of jobs for Kiwi citizens and causing unemployment rates to fall significantly.

The PM considers that present immigration figures don’t represent a significant number for the small country, even although fewer Kiwis are leaving to take up jobs in Australia. Departures during the 2013/2014 financial year were, at 62,400, 22 per cent down on the previous year, mostly due to a contraction in the neighbouring country’s economy and its rising cost of living.