AUCKLAND – There has been an unprecedented rise in the number of New Zealanders leaving the country, a migration trend that has stirred concerns.
According to the government department, Statistics New Zealand, 52,500 citizens from the country left in the ongoing year ending March; shockingly, 39 percent of those who are leaving are aged between 18 and 30.
The stats imply that more than half of the overall citizens are headed to Australia. It is interesting to note that the previous record for annual net migration loss of New Zealand citizens was 44,400 recorded in 2012.
As far as the entrants are concerned, the number hovers around 164,000 dominated by the 18-to-44 age group; the largest number of foreigners are coming from India, the Philippines, China, and Fiji.
The official data also suggests that the annual net migration gain was 111,145, the lowest in 10 months, with gains having peaked at 139,000 last October.
Commenting on the figures, ASB senior economist Mark Smith said the net immigration outlook is highly uncertain, adding that expectations are high that net permanent and long-term migrant inflows would cool over the next few years as the slowing economy reduces the attractiveness of New Zealand as a place to live and work.
During the ongoing year, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford tightened rules for work visas to include an English language component to reduce the number of low-skilled workers entering the country.
It bears mentioning that countries across the globe are introducing measures against migration and even international student visas are now being issued with tough scrutiny.
In the same manner, Canada also announced reduction in the number of international students by 35 percent as compared to 2023. Australia has also tightened the rules against international students implying that immigration is being discouraged due to multiple concerns including the housing crisis.
The case of New Zealand becomes interesting as the citizens are leaving in record numbers.
