Home > Our Publications > New Zealand Outlook > 2004 > June

By Lawrence Johnston

MIGRANTS who have the skills that New Zealand needs can look forward to secure sustained employment there. That is one of the preliminary findings of a research project currently underway.
The research being conducted by the New Zealand Immigration Service asks recent migrants for feedback about their experience of the country.
Mr Stephen Dunstan, who is heading the research team, told New Zealand Outlook that one of the more surprising findings so far has been that skilled migrants had a better job retention record than did the equivalent New Zealand born population.
Wellington based Mr Dunstan who was in London to advise the Home Office about a similar project on migrants to the UK, also said that even after 18 months, migrants to New Zealand expressed satisfaction with their life in the country. That also extended to education and health with a GP quite easy to find, though there were some lessons to be learned from the research.
About a fifth of those asked said they had suffered discrimination largely work and job hunting related. "In some cases this may have been due to their perception of discrimination," Mr Dunstan said.
He said skilled people were emigrating to New Zealand because of its attractive lifestyle, rather than due to lack of work in their country of origin. You don't go far anywhere in the country without reaching the seaside.
These preliminary findings come from a pilot survey among 690 migrants at six months and 540 at 18 months. Mr Dunstan said: "We used the pilot to make sure that our processes for the main survey would work properly and that we've got our questions right."
The main - Longitudinal Immigration Survey - so called because it involves interviewing migrants six and 18 months and three years after their arrival, will involve some 7,000 migrants at six months.
"The hope is that after three years we'll still have 5,000 of them to interview allowing for those we can't find in the meantime," Mr Dunstan said.
On advice he could pass on to potential migrants, he said: "Of key importance is to find out about the job market in advance."
One of the hardest aspects of a survey like this is keeping in touch with migrants. This is done by mailing them as soon as they are approved for residence. "We send them a card for them to return to us, and I can't emphasise enough how vital it is that they do return it to us," Mr Dunstan said.
The 140 page report which outlines the pilot findings, stresses that the main survey will contribute significantly to an objective evaluation of how effectively immigration policy is working. Particular aims are a satisfactory outcome for migrants, the New Zealand economy and society at large.
New Immigration Minister Paul Swain, launching the main survey said that its findings would be released progressively from 2007. There was evidence from the pilot survey that most migrants need some help to settle in New Zealand.
"This lends support to the strong settlement focus that now characterises immigration policy, with the emphasis on improving outcomes for New Zealand and the migrants themselves," he said.
One of the findings of the pilot survey was that most of the migrants surveyed felt settled and satisfied with their life in the country. This satisfaction increased over time.
Another found parents satisfied with their children's schooling. Few felt their children were unsettled either at school or in New Zealand.
Also, migrants' initial settlement intentions did not appear to have changed after some time as a New Zealand resident.