Saturday, 23 June 2018

Migration numbers continued ownward

    1. Business
    1 Comment

    Annual net migration continued its general downward trend in May, and economists say they expect this fall to continue in the coming years.

    Statistics New Zealand figures released yesterday showed annual net migration was 66,200 in the year ended May, down from a peak of 72,400 in the July 2017 year. There were two migrant arrivals for every departure, Statistics NZ population insights senior manager Brooke Theyers said.

    In the May year, there were 132,000 migrant arrivals and 64,000 departures.

    Migration departures were the highest they had been since May 2014.

    Migrant departures to Asia increased by 33% in the May year to 12,400.

    The largest increases were to China and India.

    Non-New Zealand citizen migrant departures were up 22% from a year earlier to 30,500 in the May year, and up 1.1% from the April 2018 year.

    Movements of New Zealand citizens moved further into negative territory. There was a net outflow of 410 people in May. Westpac senior economist Anne Bonniface said the trend was consistent with her view that departures of New Zealand citizens would continue to rise in number as employment prospects in Australia brightened.

    "There was a lift in the arrivals of non-New Zealanders in May but this remains below the levels of a year ago."

    However, the longer-term trend of a lift in departures of non-New Zealand citizens remained intact.

    Over a longer horizon, it had been rising departures of non-New Zealanders driving the softening in annual net migration, she said.

    The trend was expected to continue as many of the people who arrived in New Zealand on temporary work and student visas in recent years returned home or moved on after coming to the end of their course or contract.

    Annual net migration was expected to continue to ease in the coming years. Westpac was forecasting annual net migration to fall to a low of around 20,000 in about five years.

     

    AT A GLANCE

    Migration. —

    • May monthly (seasonally adjusted): 5090. Previous: 4930

    • May annual: 66,243. Previous: 67,150

    1 Comment

    Comments

    alan papert Mon, 25/06/2018 - 9:14am

    Well it's what labour and NZ first promised except the method being used is bizarre. Slow the economy down xenophobic housing policy aimed at just one or two race groups. INZ being very heavy handed. Anti foreign students. Coupled with better jobs and lower taxes in Australia coming through Peters may yet see his 10,000 a year being a reality