Executive summary
This report analyses data from the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment’s (MBIE’s) Migrant Surveys 2021 and 2022 for respondents who were waged or salaried employees. The analysis aims to identify the extent to which migrant employees are experiencing adverse working conditions, and the particular migrant groups that are more at risk.
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While most migrant employees did not report unfair treatment at work and were receiving the minimum employment entitlements asked about in the survey, some migrant workers were more vulnerable in their jobs. In particular, adverse working conditions and breaches of employment rights were more common for:
- migrants working in industries and occupations that most commonly employed migrant men
- migrants from specific countries such as the Philippines
- migrants with lower English language proficiency and qualification levels
- temporary migrants.
The overall extent to which specific types of unfair or adverse treatment and employment breaches were experienced by migrant employees, in their current main job, was as follows.
- 7% of migrant employees in 2021, and 5% in 2022 responded that their employer withheld, or said they would withhold, entitlements like holiday pay or sick leave.
- 4% each year had felt unsafe because of their current employer’s behaviour.
- 4% each year responded that their employer had asked/expected them to pay money to get or keep their job.
- 3% in 2021 and 2% in 2022 were paid less than the adult minimum wage.
- 2% in 2021 and 1% in 2022 did not have a written employment agreement.
- In 2022, 5% of migrant workers contacted someone for help with their working conditions.
- 4% of migrant workers in 2021 and 3% in 2022 were not provided with support or information from their employer about any of the areas asked about in the survey, such as ‘health and safety at work’, ‘welcoming you to the workplace’ and ‘supporting you or your family to settle in New Zealand’.
- 20% of migrant employees in 2021 and 18% in 2022 responded that their job didn’t match their qualifications and skills, with another 11% each year responding that there was a partial match.
- More than half of migrant workers each year felt they had been treated unfairly because they came from overseas, with 31% of these workers in 2021 and 28% in 2022 experiencing this unfair treatment while applying for a job.