New Zealanders seek jobs overseas in record numbers as recession bites

Auckland has started to feel like a “ghost town”, Chakrabarti said.

“With the pay in New Zealand, it was impossible to save. Making ends meet was hard, even with working in what would conventionally be viewed as a high-paying industry,” he told This Week in Asia.

Chakrabarti made the move to Sydney where the salary was typically higher than in Auckland for a similar role.

According to provisional data released by Statistics New Zealand on Tuesday, 131,200 people left in the year ending June 2024 – the highest number on record for a single year. Of the figure, over 80,000 were citizens, nearly double the pre-pandemic levels.

“Almost all of my friends have made a move to Australia so it seems that they have the same mindset as I do,” said Chakrabarti.

The average minimum wage in Australia was NZ$26.58 per hour (US$15) as of July, about NZ$3 higher than in New Zealand. On average, New Zealanders could earn an extra NZ$200 per week by moving across the Tasman Sea, according to a report by New Zealand-based consultancy Infometrics.

The phenomenon of young New Zealanders embarking on an overseas job experience abroad is a long-standing tradition. However, a rise in domestic unemployment and the economic slowdown have accelerated this trend, according to economists.

While net migration to New Zealand – the number of those arriving minus those leaving – remains at high levels, economists expect it to wane.

According to Brad Olsen, principal economist and CEO of Infometrics, a “natural affinity” has historically driven migration from New Zealand to Australia but the surge in the number of New Zealanders moving this year reflects a widening gap in unemployment rates between the two countries.

New Zealand typically had a lower unemployment