Widened Search For Migrants

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32392, 3 September 1970, Page 10

Widened Search For Migrants

The extension of assisted immigration subsidies to migrants from five West European countries and the United States should make a small but useful contribution to the growth of New Zealand provided employers and the Government continue to use the scheme with care and discretion. Since February, when the scheme to assist migrants from Britain was modified, employers have sponsored almost a thousand applications involving 2700 persons. The contribution of Dutch immigrants in New Zealand is a reminder that a leavening of Continental migrants may broaden the cultural climate of this predominantly British country as well as help its economy. Prospective employers and the New Zealand diplomatic posts which will be the main contact between this country and potential immigrants will hardly need to be told that the extension of the scheme poses new problems—language for one; there are few facilities in New Zealand for teaching English to adults. New Zealand will not necessarily have the same appeal to other nationals as it has had to British migrants. In the United States New Zealand can hardly hope to “sell” itself as a potential home on its comparative standard of living; the emphasis will have to be on security of employment and the less tense and urbanised style of living.

The age of prospective migrants deserves consideration to avoid aggravating an imbalance which is beginning to appear in New Zealand. In recent years the greatest loss by emigration from New Zealand has been of persons aged between 20 and 30; the greatest inflow has been of persons over 40. More males than females have left the country permanently; the biggest loss has been among professional people. Increased assisted immigration of middle-aged, unskilled workers would hardly be the best way to restore the balance, however much it might suit some categories of New Zealand employers affected by the present shortage of labour. In its report on immigration in 1966 the Monetary and Economic Council pointed out that “ immigration “will confer its greatest benefits on the economy “when there is no obvious labour shortage”. The council was concerned that many migrants, especially those without particularly important skills, tended to Increase the unsatisfied demand for labour and for Imports by the increasing demands they made on the economy, and that this was not likely to be offset, except in particular industries, by the migrants’ contribution of labour. This problem is aggravated when families rather than individual workers are encouraged to immigrate. These considerations must be kept clearly in view in the administration of the new scheme.