What have been the early outcomes of New Zealand’s seasonal foreign worker admissions?

Abstrakti

This essay analyzes preliminary lessons from one of the most recent, and allegedly, better designed seasonal foreign worker admissions – New Zealand’s Recognized Seasonal Employer Program RSE. Drawing on the existing literature and official program documentation, the essay highlights the policy’s achievements and challenges. It suggests that the policy appears to have had more positive impacts on the development of the relatively developed countries, because of their better ability to steer worker recruitment and investment of newly acquired skills and monies. When designing seasonal worker admissions to Europe, European policymakers should be aware of the fact that if included in the program migrants from the most economically, socially and geographically distant countries of origin may find it more difficult to benefit from the program and therefore either forego it or use it as a stepping stone to permanent migration.