N.Z. emigrants take skills to Australia

Press, 2 July 1979, Page 16

N.Z. emigrants take skills to Australia

By

STUART McMILLAN

The suspicion that New Zealand has been losing some of its most able young people to Australia has been confirmed in figures prepared by the Department of Statistics.

Among the 39,160 New Zealand residents who left for Australia either permanently or for a long term in the 12 months which ended in March this year, nurses, carpenters, teachers, typists, fitters, mechanics and clerks are strongly represented.

Stenographers, typists, and teletypists numbered 1616 in the period. There were 1704 medical, dental, veterinary and related workers, and 2380 clerical and related workers.

Bricklayers, carpenters, construction workers numbered 1520 and machinists, fitters, and assemblers 1364.

Registered professional nurses made up 676 of those departing and other nursing personnel' another 592. Four hundred and eighty primary school teachers and 88 secondary teachers went to Australia. Even among the rarer birds of university and

higher education teachers 60 made the trip westwards. Among New Zealand salesmen, shop assistants and demonstrators 1040 fancied their luck in Australia and, in a rather older aged group, 864 production managers and other managers went.

Out of the total of nearly 40,000 people, only 1464 are listed as labourers. Practically all the others are skilled or semi-skilled and many have higher qualifications. Two hundred and twelve accountants and 64 laywers went to Australia as did 92 doctors and 29 dentists. Forty-four architects and town planners and 84 civil engineers, 40 electrical and electronic engineers, 56 mechanical engineers, and four chemical engineers. Among the technical people who went were 200 draughtsmen, 44 civil engineering technicians, 60 electrical and electronic engineering technicians, and 32 mechanical engineering technicians.

Among the more highly qualified people departing,

there were few economists. Only eight have gone. Whether this lends weight to the theory that New Zealand has become a glorious playground for economists diagnosing what is wrong with the country is more than can be determined lightly.New Zealand lost 456 motor vehicle mechanics to Australia, 356 electrical workers, 344 sheet metal workers, and 152 welders and flame cutters.

By far the greatest num-

ber of people going to Australia were under 29 years. 2888 were under five, 2384 were between five and nine, 1632 were between 10 and 14; 4964 were between 15 and 19; 12,316 were between 20 and 24; and 3476 were between 25 and 29 years. Of the total 21,008 were male and 18,157 female. Never married males numbered 13;740 and never married females 10,936: married males numbered 6004 and married females 5932.

The traffic was not all one

way. Five thousand and twenty Australian residents came to New Zealand to settle or stay for a long time in the same period. Of these, professional, technical, and related workers numbered 828. Production and related workers, transport workers and labourers accounted for 2078.

The heavy migration from New Zealand to Australia over the last few years has not occurred entirely without strain. Both Queensland

and Western Australia have had concern expressed about the numbers of New Zealanders. Elsewhere there have been suggestions that New Zealand was exporting its unemployment. When the skills and qualifications of those going to Australia are taken into account, it is unlikely that such a view could be upheld. Many of those going have .he sort of skills and qualifications which are in demand in Australia. Australia’s gain is New Zealand’s loss. It might well be asked if New Zealand can afford to lose so many of its young and trained citizens.

In the short term it would seem that the fewer people in the country the easier it is to deal with some of the economic problems. But in the medium and long-term? Some concern is felt by the Government that the sort of people who are leaving have a multiplier effect on employment. If managers leave for example, these are the sort of people who will generate jobs, have the energy to develop export markets, and the confidence to take initiatives.