Key Findings from the Migrant Survey -
2009 Migrants Survey (Pilot)
Immigration Survey Monitoring Programme
Strong link between migrants' skills and the labour market
The relationship between respondents' current jobs and their skills and qualifications was very positive for skilled migrants. Eighty-two percent of employed skilled principal migrants stated their current job matched their skills and qualifications, as did 77percent of Essential Skills workers (Figure 4).
Figure 4: Employed respondents whose job matched their skills and qualifications by category
Note: Respondents rated how well their job matched their skills and qualifications.
Source: Immigration Survey Monitoring Programme 2009 Migrants Survey (Pilot).
Of all employed respondents, 37percent said their job did not match or only partly matched their skills and qualifications. The most common reasons for the mismatch were that they were over-qualified for their current job (33percent) or they had decided to pursue a different career or job in New Zealand (29percent).
Not surprisingly, respondents working in skilled jobs were less likely to report a mismatch between their job and their skills and qualifications than those working in lower skilled jobs. Twenty-five percent of respondents working in a skilled job reported a mismatch compared with 56percent of those working in a lower skilled job.
