Wednesday 23 July 2008
This week has seen an important milestone with the reporting back of the Immigration Bill by the Transport and Industrial Relations Committee. Given that the Bill was reported back only on Monday, many of you may not have had the chance to review it in any detail yet, although I am sure you have been involved throughout the Act review process. So, I will take this opportunity to update you on a few of the key changes in what is the biggest rewrite of immigration law for two decades.
Why immigration is vitally important to New Zealand
First however, let us look to the big picture of immigration in the international context, the global risks associated with immigration, and how immigration contributes to New Zealand.
Immigration in the international context. We truly do live in a global world. Our exposure to the choices we have regarding where we live, work and play, has never been higher.
As part of this trend we are seeing increased global competition for workers. Demand for workers is increasing as ageing populations in developed countries retire. By 2050, one third of people in developed countries will be over 60 and the proportion of New Zealanders over 65 will double. With increasing international competition there are global shortages in a greater range of occupations.
To put this in context, in New Zealand, every year from 2000 to 2006 there was an average of 50,000 new jobs added to the total job stock. With new jobs continuing to grow, skill shortages are a concern and if left unchecked, this shortage can threaten economic growth. Immigration obviously plays a key role in helping employers meet skills shortages if there are not New Zealanders available to fill positions.
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