New Faces, New Futures: New Zealand
Migrants' Labour Market Participation
| Characteristic | Labour force participation rate (%) | Employment rate (%) | Seeking-work rate (%) | Proportion employed in a skilled job1 (%) | Proportion employed in shortage area2 (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 62.5 | 58.4 | 6.5 | 47.9 | 11.7 |
| Location of approval | |||||
| Onshore | 66.6 | 63.7 | 4.4 | 50.6 | 11.0 |
| Offshore | 53.5 | 47.2 | 12.0 | 40.3 | 13.9 |
| Applicant type | |||||
| Principal applicant | 66.7 | 63.2 | 5.1 | 50.1 | 11.4 |
| Secondary applicant | 58.5 | 53.8 | 7.9 | 45.5 | 12.3 |
| English language ability | |||||
| English is a language spoken best | 68.1 | 64.1 | 5.7 | 52.2 | 13.7 |
| Very good/good English language ability | 62.0 | 58.5 | 5.7 | 38.1 | 9.9 |
| Moderate/poor English language ability | 49.1 | 43.6 | 11.3 | 48.8 | 7.9 |
| Previous NZ experience | |||||
| Have been to NZ: employed | 84.5 | 82.1 | 3.0 | 51.2 | 10.9 |
| Have been to NZ: not employed | 41.9 | 37.7 | 10.1 | 49.1 | 12.7 |
| Have not been to NZ before | 50.6 | 42.0 | 16.9 | 27.9 | 11.6 |
| Highest qualification | |||||
| Secondary school qualifications | 56.2 | 52.6 | 6.3 | 34.5 | 7.5 |
| Post-secondary school qualifications | 68.5 | 64.4 | 6.2 | 55.7 | 15.0 |
| Region of origin | |||||
| UK/Irish Republic | 69.5 | 65.2 | 6.3 | 60.4 | 17.0 |
| South Africa | 65.4 | 60.3 | 6.8 | 60.2 | 13.9 |
| North America | 68.7 | 65.7 | 4.4 | 55.4 | 9.2 |
| Rest of Europe | 64.0 | 59.7 | 6.7 | 51.8 | 9.6 |
| North Asia | 47.5 | 43.0 | 9.0 | 54.3 | 8.0 |
| South Asia | 57.3 | 53.1 | 6.4 | 30.4 | 7.8 |
| South East Asia | 67.2 | 63.4 | 5.6 | 38.8 | 8.2 |
| Pacific | 64.0 | 60.4 | 6.0 | 24.6 | 8.5 |
| Other | 69.4 | 67.6 | S | 39.7 | 11.0 |
| Age group (years) | |||||
| 16-24 | 48.7 | 45.5 | 6.6 | 25.9 | 6.6 |
| 25-34 | 73.5 | 69.8 | 4.9 | 47.8 | 14.0 |
| 35-44 | 71.7 | 66.9 | 6.6 | 52.5 | 12.2 |
| 45-54 | 69.8 | 64.4 | 7.8 | 58.8 | 11.3 |
| 55-64 | 31.7 | 28.3 | 13.0 | 58.5 | 7.3 |
| 65+ | 10.5 | 7.9 | 25.0 | 55.6 | S |
| Sex | |||||
| Male | 70.7 | 66.9 | 5.4 | 55.5 | 15.1 |
| Female | 57.2 | 52.9 | 7.4 | 41.9 | 9.0 |
Notes: 1 Proportion of employed people working in a skilled occupation (Australia and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations skill level 1, 2, or 3).
2 Proportion of employed migrants whose occupational code matches an occupation on the Long Term Skill Shortage List (LTSSL). This is indicative only because migrants may not meet all the qualification and/or work experience requirements of the LTSSL.
Symbol: S = suppressed for confidentiality reasons.