The changing workforce

An ageing population and growing international migration are set to change the shape of our workforce over coming years. On the ageing population, the international research suggests that:

• In most OECD countries, the number of young people entering the workforce over the next few decades will be considerably fewer than the number of people retiring. The result will be a decline in the workforce in many countries. In New Zealand, that will probably start happening around 2020.
• Over the next couple of decades, the proportion of the workforce aged over 45 will increase significantly. An older workforce will have higher average levels of work experience and, potentially, higher productivity. However, retraining may be necessary for these workers to keep up with changing skill demands.
• As fewer young people join the workforce, recruiting may become more difficult. Employers may create more flexible working arrangements to retain older employees.

On growing international migration:

• Labour is increasingly mobile internationally. The number of people migrating to and from New Zealand each year is higher than ever before. This makes it easier to gain skilled people from overseas, but also for New Zealanders to leave.
• An increasing proportion of our workforce is likely to be made up of migrants from non-English speaking countries, particularly Asian countries. All of that is going to affect people’s work prospects, the strategies employers will put in place, and have a bearing on the sorts of jobs our country does well.

You can read more about the changing workforce in our stocktake or by looking at the articles elsewhere on this page.

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Brain drain or brain exchange?

In 2001, more than 150,000 people either left or arrived in New Zealand for 12 months or more. This movement of people in and out of New Zealand is the highest ever, and is still rising. Are the global flows of labour a threat or an opportunity for New Zealand?

And try our migration quiz.

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Where do we come from?

Changes to New Zealand’s population are leading to a more ethnically diverse workforce.
What does this mean for the future of work in this country?

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Older but better?

New Zealand's population - and its workforce is growing older.

How will this trend affect the economy and the workplace?

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Work-rich and work-poor

Like almost all industrialised societies, New Zealand’s distribution of jobs is increasingly polarised between work-rich and work-poor households. Who are the New Zealanders who make up the work-poor households (where none of the adults are in paid employment)? Will the trend towards polarisation continue? And try our work-rich/work-poor quiz.

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