IMSED Research

Keith McLeod & Wendy Searle

22 August 2011

IMSED Research

“… lead role within the New Zealand Government for research and evaluation regarding International Migration, Settlement, and Employment Dynamics.”

Now part of the …

Labour and Immigration Research Centre

Work programme

• Reflects Department and Government priorities

• Core work informing policy and services• Strategic labour market projects• Mix of Research, Evaluation and Monitoring

Flagship programmes

• Longitudinal Immigration Survey: New Zealand (LisNZ)

• Migration trends monitoring programme• Survey monitoring programme• LEED-Migration data integration project• Quota refugees ten years on

Quota Refugees Ten Years OnProgramme of research

Quota Refugees Ten Years On

• Builds on ‘Refugee Voices’• But objectives are about long-term settlement

• Refugee Quota Category• Mixed method approach – quantitative & qualitative

• Central tool – survey of 512 people• Also in-depth interviews & focus groups

• Advisory Group• Significant input into objectives & methodology• Composition

• Refugee Communities• NGOs• Government

Who came to NZ 1993 to 1999 through the Refugee Quota Category?• Country of origin

• Iraq – 29%• Somalia – 16%• Vietnam – 19%• Ethiopia – 15%• Other non-Africa – 15%• Other Africa – 7%

• Gender – Female -44%; Male – 56%• Age group (at arrival)

• 0-19 – 36%• 20-29 – 26%• 30-44 – 29%• 45+ - 10%

Who came to NZ 1993 to 1999 through the Refugee Quota Category?

Religion• Islam – 40%• Christianity – 39%• Buddhism – 12%• Hinduism – 2%• Other – 2%• No religion/faith – 5%

New Land, New Life

Language & Education

English language – on arrival and current

0

20

40

60

80

No morethan a fewwords orphrases

Not very well Fairly well Well Very well

Perc

ent

On arrival Current

• 80% had limited ability to speak English on arrival

• Two-thirds currently speak English well or very well

• Refugee Voices - 50% of refugees spoke well or very well at 5 years

Highest qualification

No formal education 15%

Primary schooling 17%

Secondary schooling 32%

Vocational 22%

Bachelors 11%

Post Graduate 3%

Who was most likely to have done no schooling?

• Those aged 45+ (24%)

Employment & Income

Employment

• 73% had worked in a paid job in NZ• Who was most likely to have worked in a paid job

in NZ?• Men (82%)• Those who were younger

• 18-29 - 89%• 30-44 - 80%

Activities in last 7 days

• 38% had worked for pay

Who was most likely to have worked for pay?

• Men (48%)• Younger age groups

• 18-29 (42%)• 30-44 (45%)

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Other

Worked without pay in a family business or farm

Did other unpaid/voluntary work

Worked for pay for <30 hours week (part-time)

At home not looking after children/care-giving

Looked for work

Studied

Worked for pay for 30+ hours week (full-time)

Looked after children/care-giving at home

Percent

Female Male

How does this compare?

• Refugee Voices – 29% of established refugees were working

• LISNZ – 76% were employed at 3 years• NZ General Population (2009)

• 72.9% of 15-64 year olds were employed• Maori – 61.7%• Pacific peoples – 56.8%

Main source of income in last 12 months

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

No source of income

Other sources of income

Superannuation

Student allowance

Self- employment

Wages or salary

Government benefits

Percent

Housing

Home ownership

• 16% owned their own house

• 2006 Census • NZ population - 53%

• Pacific Peoples – 22%

• LISNZ Survey• 52% of migrants owned their own house after 3 years

For those who don’t own their home - who owns the house/flat you live in?

• Housing New Zealand Corporation – 47%• Private person, trust or business – 34%• Family member – 14%• Local City Council – 5%

Health & Wellbeing

Health & Wellbeing

Thinking about your health, in general would you say your health is excellent, very good, good, fair or poor?

47% rated their health as excellent/very good

Who was most likely to say that their health was fair/poor?

• those aged 45+ (30%)0

10

20

30

40

50

Excellent Very good Good Fair Poor

How does this compare?

• Refugee Voices• 45% rated their health as excellent or very good• 25% rated their health as fair or poor

• NZ Health Survey 06/07• 60% rated their health as excellent or very good• 10% rated their health as fair or poor

• LISNZ• 76% rated their health as excellent or very good

Social networks

Close friends in NZ

How many of your close friends are (many or some)

• Own ethnic group – 94%

• NZ European/Maori – 73%

• Other ethnic group – 72%

Social networks

How have you made friends in NZ from outside your ethnic community?

Through work 55%

Through friends/relatives or neighbours 50%

Through study/training 37%

Through school 33%

Through day-to-day activities 32%

Through a religious group 28%

Through a club/association 17%

Through refugee services volunteers 12%

Did not make friends in NZ outside of ethnic group

9%

Social networks

Religious or faith group 70%

Your ethnic community group or organisation

67%

Sports or recreation group/club 24%

Another cultural group or organisation

16%

Refugee Organisation 13%

Youth group/club 12%

None of these 15%

Which, if any, of the following groups have you

participated in in the past 12 months?

Identity & Belonging

Identity and participation

0

20

40

60

80

Very strongly Fairly strongly Not very strongly Not at all strongly

Pe

rce

nt

Part of NZ Part of their own community

How strongly do you feel part of NZ and own ethnic group?

Identity and participation

Citizenship• 91% had taken up NZ citizenship & 3% were in

process

Voting• 91% had voted in any NZ general elections• NZ population

• Voter turnout 2006 – 76%

Identity & Belonging

Recognition & legitimacy

Safety

• In New Zealand – 93% felt very safe/safe

• At work – 91%• In your neighbourhood – 91%

Help needed

Have you needed help with any of these things in the past 12 months?

0 10 20 30 40 50

Financial advice

Schooling or study

Housing

Finding work

Bringing family to NZ

Interpretation or translation

Claiming a benefit/other govt assistance

Percent

Youth

Youth

Outcomes for youth (18-29)

• English language• 94% - were able to speak English well or very well (68%

overall)• Employment

• 89% had worked in a paid job (73% overall)• Health & wellbeing

• 73% said their health was excellent or good (47% overall)

• Social Networks• 46% had many close NZ European/Maori friends (24%

overall)

Next Steps

Next Steps

• More detailed analysis on the survey data• Qualitative research

• 25 in-depth interviews• Pathways to employment & economic contribution

(paid and unpaid)

• Focus Groups - 6• English language acquisition, service provision,

movements to Australia

What difference will the research make?

• Build knowledge/evidence base

• Understanding diversity • Refugee policy development

• Refugee Resettlement Strategy

• What works in Settlement• Wide range of implications for central & local

govt, NGOs and refugee communities

Quota Refugees Ten Years On Programme of Research

Wendy.Searle@dol.govt.nz

www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/general/generalinformation/research/Refugees