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Low Skill Migration

This project examined reasons for potential low skill migration to New Zealand and policy options for such migration. The investigation was led by Dr Paul Callister and was primarily based around two case studies 1) caregivers in relation to the ageing population; 2) domestic workers. It involved a partnership between the Institute of Policy Studies researchers and a Department of Labour visiting fellow, Juthika Badkar. Jessie Williams (IPS) brought legal expertise to the project and demographer Robert Didham (Statistics New Zealand) also assisted us in this work. In relation to domestic workers, we drew on the expertise of visiting scholar Lisa Tortell from DINÂMIA – Research Centre on Socio-Economic Change in Lisbon).

The project commenced in July 2008 and was completed in November 2009. Two main workshops were held, one on domestic work and the other focussing on caregivers for the elderly. In addition, a number of working papers and journal articles were published.

Seminars/workshops

Domestic work

A workshop/seminar on paid domestic work was held in mid August 2008. This attracted academics, union officials, employers and policy makers, including representatives of the Ministry of Justice, Department of Labour and the Ministry of Health. The aims of the workshop/seminar were:

1. To set out what we know, and what we do not know, about paid domestic work in New Zealand
2. To determine the demographic, economic and social factors that might be encouraging an expansion of domestic work
3. To discuss the legal/human rights dimensions of domestic work both in a national and international context.
4. To explore the desirability of New Zealand establishing migration paths for domestic workers and, if these were to be established, how might they operate?
5. To explore ways to ensure domestic work is decent work in New Zealand.

Caregivers for the elderly

A joint Australian/New Zealand workshop was organised with the title ‘The Future Supply of Caregivers for the Elderly: Should Australia and New Zealand look to the Pacific?’. The workshop was held at the Crawford School of Government at the Australian National University on November 18th 2009. Against a backdrop of demographic projections in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific, the aim of the workshop was to consider possible labour market and migration policy responses to the forecast shortages of car­egivers for the elderly. However, a secondary aim was to consider merits of New Zealand’s Recognised Seasonal Employer Scheme (RSE) for horticulture and the pilot Australian horticultural scheme. While these schemes are for seasonal labour rather than on-going care work they provide some insights into recruiting low skill labour from the Pacific. The workshop attracted a mix of government officials from Australia and New Zealand, academics, unions and employers.  It was based around a series of presentations and discussions. The following presentations are downloadable:

Juthika Badkar and Paul Callister (Institute of Policy Studies) The future demand for caregivers for the elderly and the current workforce in New Zealand.

Tomas Ernst (World Bank) Economic and demographic factors in the Pacific and lessons learned from temporary foreign workers in Canada

Jessie Williams (Institute of Policy Studies) Labour law, human rights issues and migration

Darren Hooper (Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations) Simon Strasiotto (Department of Immigration and Citizenship) An Australian view of the Pacific Seasonal Worker Pilot (PSWP)

John Connell and Joel Negin (Sydney University) Health careworker migration from the Pacific

Melissa Coad (LHMU) A Union response to future caregivers shortages and migration


Publications

A number of publications from this project are now available. These are listed below.

Callister, P, Badkar, J. and Williams, J. (2009) The future supply of caregivers for the elderly: Should Australia and New Zealand look to the Pacific? Pacific Economic Bulletin, 24(3): 162-172.

Callister, P, Badkar, J. and Williams, J. (2009) Paid Caregivers and domestic workers: Some policy issues in relation to meeting future demand in New Zealand, Policy Quarterly, 5(3): 38-43.

Williams, J. (2009) Low skill temporary migration in New Zealand: Labour market and human rights law as a framework for managing future migration, IPS Working Paper 09/09, Wellington: Institute of Policy Studies.

Badkar, J. Callister, P. and Didham, R. (2009) Ageing New Zealand: The growing reliance on migrant caregivers, IPS Working Paper 09/08, Wellington: Institute of Policy Studies.

Callister, P., Tortell, L. and Williams, J. (2009) Paid domestic work: A private matter or a public policy issue? IPS Working Paper 09/02, Wellington: Institute of Policy Studies.

Badkar, J., Callister, P. and Didham, R. (2008) The origin, family structure and labour supply of foreign born nurses, paper presented at the 13th Labour, Employment and Work conference, Wellington: Victoria University, 11 and 12 December.