Vulnerable temporary migrant workers: Canterbury construction industry

Based on semi-structured interviews with key informants from government agencies, businesses, and other organisations including non-government organisations and community advocates. It brings these interviews together with analysis of administrative data to better understand the nature and extent of migrant vulnerability in the construction industry. Introduction In 2013, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) commenced a programme of research on vulnerable temporary migrant workers. The first phase involved a review of New Zealand and international literature on the vulnerability of temporary migrant workers (Yuan, Cain and Spoonley, 2014) and an analysis of existing data sources. The second phase focused on temporary migrants in the Canterbury construction sector and is the subject of this report. This report is based on semi-structured interviews with key informants from government agencies, businesses, and other organisations including non-government organisations and community advocates. It brings these interviews together with analysis of administrative data to better understand the nature and extent of migrant vulnerability in the construction industry in Canterbury and effective interventions to address the issues and reduce exploitative practices in the industry. The research shows rapid growth in Filipino migrants working in the Canterbury construction industry. While it is difficult to determine the extent of exploitative practices, the research shows that some migrants were experiencing exploitative situations. Most commonly mentioned were the excessive fees paid to recruitment agencies, but other breaches of employment standards and poor employment practices were evident. Workers particularly vulnerable to exploitative practices were Filipino migrants and those working for labour hire companies and small businesses

Quarterly Canterbury job matching report

The Quarterly Canterbury Job Matching Report for the March 2015 quarter was released today by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, providing employment demand and supply information on the Canterbury rebuild and wider recovery. Some key findings for this quarter are: Labour force participation is high and unemployment is low. Job vacancies in the construction industry in Canterbury are falling, which is consistent with the rebuild reaching its peak. Businesses are having difficulty in sourcing skilled and, to a lesser extent, unskilled workers. Local labour supply is tight and is expected to remain so for the next three years as work continues on the rebuild

The Small Business Sector report 2014

The Small Business Sector Report 2014 is a government publication that provides a factual source of information in an accessible format on the small businesses that make up a large part of the New Zealand economy. New Zealand needs to encourage firms of all sizes to operate at their peak potential to meet the goals of our Business Growth Agenda. The report includes international comparisons, international trade, innovation, and a summary of small businesses from the perspective of different industries nationally. Its aim is to provide an overview of New Zealand’s small business sector for business people, policy makers, media commentators, economists, academics, students and anyone with an interest in New Zealand’s economic development. See Related Content below: Small Business factsheet 201

Jobs online monthly report: June 2015

Measures changes in job vacancies advertised by businesses on three internet job boards – SEEK, Trade Me Jobs and the Education Gazette. Highlights Online job vacancies fell in June. Online vacancies for skilled and all vacancies both decreased in June, by 0.3 and 0.4 per cent respectively. Skilled vacancies decreased in five out of eight industry groups. The largest decrease was in the IT industry (down 2.4 per cent), while the largest increase was in sales, retail, marketing and advertising (up 1.6 per cent). Skilled vacancies fell by 0.5 per cent in the professionals occupation group. Vacancies grew for managers (up 0.5 per cent). Skilled vacancies rose in five out of ten regions over the past month. The largest increase was in the Waikato (up 1.1 per cent) region, while the largest decrease was in the Nelson/Tasman/Marlborough/ West Coast (down 0.7 per cent) region

Māori in the labour market – June 2015

This fact sheet provides information on national employment by industry, occupation, and regional employment for Māori. All data is sourced from the Household Labour Force Survey (HLFS) released quarterly by Statistics New Zealand (SNZ). Data is annualised to address sampling error and seasonal variation concerns.  Māori in the Labour Market is updated quarterly following the release of the HLFS results. Highlights Labour market outcomes for Māori improved over the year to June 2015: Employment was up 5,700 workers to 271,100 workers over the year Participation increased to 66.6 per cent, up 0.2 percentage points from a year ago Unemployment was steady at 12.5 per cent, with 38,500 Māori over the year The annual average NEET rate fell from 21.3 per cent to 20.9 per cent in the year to June 2015. The gains (up 5,700) in employment coincided with 6,300 more Māori entering the labour force, and a steady unemployment rate of 12.5 for the June 2015 year. The increase in employment was driven by higher employment in the public administration and safety, health care and social assistance, and other services over the year. Māori continue to have an unemployment rate higher than the national average for June 2015. The annual average NEET rate fell from 21.3 per cent to 20.9 per cent in the year to June 20

Jobs online monthly report – May 2015

Measures changes in New Zealand job vacancies advertised by businesses on three internet job boards – SEEK, Trade Me Jobs and the Education Gazette. The trend series is used as the primary indicator as it reduces the month-to-month volatility. Highlights Online job vacancies decrease in May. Online vacancies for skilled and all vacancies both decreased in May by 0.7 per cent and 0.9 per cent respectively. Skilled vacancies fell in four out of eight industry groups. The largest decrease was in the construction and engineering industry (down 2.2 per cent), while the largest increase was in the IT industry (up 1.3 per cent). Skilled vacancies decreased in all the occupation groups. Skilled vacancies fell for the technicians and trades (down 1.4 per cent), professionals (down 0.4 per cent) and managers (0.2 per cent) occupation groups. Skilled vacancies rose in five out of ten regions over the past month. The largest increase was in Waikato (up 0.7 per cent). The largest decrease was in the Bay of Plenty (down 0.7 per cent) region

Regional economic activity report 2014

Provides consistent information for each of New Zealand’s 16 regions. This allows us to compare the regions’ economic performance, distinguish their attributes and specialisations, and understand the different roles they play in the New Zealand economy. Summary The 2014 regional economic activity report report shows that nearly all of New Zealand\u27s 16 regions have made good economic progress over the last 12 months, reflecting New Zealand’s recovery after the global financial crisis. Each region provides a different contribution to the New Zealand economy and, while there is diversity, all regions have the potential to attract further investment, improve their living standards and generate high-value economic growth. Most regions experienced job growth over the last year. This is despite the 2013 drought which particularly affected primary production in the North Island. Canterbury has been the fastest growing region over the last two years, driven by the Christchurch rebuild and supported by its primary sector. Actions to enhance regional economic activity and outcomes need to be underpinned by a sound knowledge of each region’s historical trends and its strengths and weaknesses.This report provides comprehensive and comparative information about economic outcomes and the drivers of those outcomes across all regions. In addition, the government, in partnership with local decision-makers, is this year undertaking in-depth economic growth studies of regions such as East Coast, Northland, Bay of Plenty, and Manawatū-Wanganui. Those studies will help the regions prioritise opportunities for growth and identify how to overcome any barriers to that growth. This report highlights several key findings. First, each region has industry specialisations which have developed historically due to natural resource and infrastructure endowments, geographic location and skills. Those specialisations are the chief contributors to the different economic outcomes seen across the regions. Some sectors, such as dairy farming and milk processing, are benefiting from high commodity prices and market growth while others, such as horticulture, have lower returns. Secondly, the report identifies a regional dimension to the economic disparity between Māori and non-Māori. Some of the regions with poorer outcomes are also regions that have a higher proportion of Māori in their populations. The Crown and Māori have entered into an economic growth partnership to improve economic outcomes for Māori and to build economic growth from Māori assets and Māori Inc. This partnership will be delivered regionally and will include Business Growth Agenda actions such as the Māori and Pasifika Trades Training programme. Thirdly, the report shows there is significant diversity in demographic trends across regions, partly in response to relative economic opportunities. New Zealand, like all developed countries, has an ageing population but in some regions and sub-regions the population is ageing at a significantly faster rate than others. There is also disparity in regional shares of international migrants. Local decision-makers face the need to anticipate today how their projected population profiles will impact infrastructure and services demand

Migration trends and outlook: 2013/2014

This report examines trends in temporary and permanent migration to and from New Zealand. The report updates trends to 2013/14 and compares recent immigration patterns with patterns identified in previous years. Introduction This report is the 14th in an annual series about temporary and permanent migration trends to and from New Zealand. This report updates trends to the end of the 2013/14 financial year and has been prepared for: · policy makers concerned with migration flows and their impacts · the wider public with an interest in immigration policy and outcome

Portfolio of major events in Auckland: characteristics, perspectives and issues

Although event portfolios have become an integrated part of destination development, a lack of empirical research into the nature of portfolio design exists. A case study was conducted in Auckland, New Zealand, to explore the nature of the applied portfolio strategy in the city. The findings indicate that Auckland employs an outcomes-driven approach which is characterised by the orientation on economic outcomes, an ‘agnostic’ attitude to the compositional structure of the portfolio, an intensive bidding campaign and leveraging strategies. The current city’s reputation awards, successful event bids and positive economic indicators justify this approach. The identified issues, including a supply-led nature of the event portfolio and its predominantly quantitative measures of success, call for a revalidation of the approach. The results of the study contribute to the ongoing discourse about the value of event portfolios and their sustainable design in different urban destinations.N/

Maori in business: a report on Maori running their own business

This report provides an overview of Maori who run their own business (self-employed, either working alone or employing others). Background Māori are important partners to achieving prosperity for all New Zealanders. They supply skills and capabilities essential in the labour market. Māori also add value to the economy through their assets. These assets generate capital inflows to New Zealand, and create employment for Māori and all of New Zealand. Given the relative size of their assets, Māori self-employed and employers are key in achieving better outcomes for Māori. In the context of promoting Māori economic development through entrepreneurial activities, self-employment becomes an important aspect of the Māori economy and as part of the New Zealand economy. In general, little information on self-employed Māori is available from quarterly data collections. The report is an attempt to respond to this information gap