How Many Seasonal Workers from the Pacific Have Been Employed in New Zealand Since the RSE Scheme Began?

Date
2023-03-16
Authors
Bedford, R
Bedford, C
Supervisor
Item type
Journal Article
Degree name
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Wiley
Abstract

This Research Note provides the first reliable figures on the numbers of seasonal workers from the Pacific Islands who participated in the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme between July 2007 and June 2022. The method for deriving these figures is explained briefly before examining the frequency of return by men and women for employment in subsequent seasons from the nine participating Pacific states. Clarification of the numbers of seasonal workers involved in the scheme, as distinct from work visas issued each year for RSE employment, is timely for two reasons. Firstly, the RSE scheme is under review in March 2023 by Immigration New Zealand. Secondly, the three major sources of Pacific seasonal labour are raising questions in 2023 about the impact of the scheme on their domestic labour markets and economies. Robust data on numbers of Pacific seasonal workers during the scheme's first 15 years contributes important information in both these contexts.

Description
Keywords
4406 Human Geography , 44 Human Society , 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth , 0406 Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience , 1302 Curriculum and Pedagogy , 1604 Human Geography , Geography , 3709 Physical geography and environmental geoscience , 4406 Human geography
Source
New Zealand Geographer, ISSN: 0028-8144 (Print); 1745-7939 (Online), Wiley, 79(1), 39-45. doi: 10.1111/nzg.12354
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