An Air New Zealand Plane Flies Over Mount Victoria
IN PHOTO: An Air New Zealand plane flies over houses in Mount Victoria as it approaches Wellington airport, October 7, 2011. Reuters/Marcos Brindicci

More New Zealanders find Australia less attractive as statistics reveal migration in the country is breaking records with a net gain of 47,694 people in the year to the end of October. Kiwis prefer to stay in New Zealand, while those from Australia are either coming home or considering moving back.

Jason Walker, managing director at Hays Recruitment, said there has been a significant increase in the number of New Zealanders who want to come home for jobs in the IT sector or for the Christchurch rebuild. He said Australia was becoming less attractive in the eyes of Kiwis who view Australian jobs as only for Australians. They also do not like the tax increases and the slowdown of the construction industry in the country, according to the New Zealand Herald.

Walker further explained that Australia is seen as "fairly poor and negative" in terms of economy with even Australian papers portraying New Zealand as an attractive country. He believes New Zealand is at record levels in permanent job placements with a positive outlook for 2015.

Erina Anderson-Morunga, Iwi n Aus Facebook page creator, remarked that New Zealanders want to return home for jobs and a stable social security system. Kiwis in Australia are not eligible for social security benefits, unlike their counterparts who are working and living in New Zealand.

Tertiary, Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce said brighter economic prospects were keeping Kiwis from going out of the country and attracting others living abroad. He revealed that more than half of the people who attended a job fair in Perth were Kiwis considering the possibility of coming home.

Shamubeel Eaqub, an economist at the NZ Institute for Economic Research, said Kiwis have limited access to job opportunities in Australia since they are ineligible for some benefits available to Australians. The latest statistics showed an increase in arrivals from Australia with 3,200 New Zealand citizens compared to 1,000 non-citizens.

New Zealand's migration soared to new heights in October due to an increase in student arrivals from India. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has estimated that a strong migration will add 50,000 people to the current labour force in the next two years.