New Zealand's population exodus hits 13-year high as economy worsens
SYDNEY - New Zealand citizens leaving the country have hit the highest levels in 13 years, with more than a third of those emigrating aged under 30 years as unemployment rises and economic growth remains soft.
Data released by Statistics New Zealand on Friday showed 71,800 New Zealand citizens departed New Zealand in the year ended June 2025, up from 67,500 in the previous 12-month period and below the record 72,400 in the year ended February 2012.
New Zealand's net migration, which is the number of those arriving minus those leaving, also fell with foreign nationals moving to the country of 5.3 million nearly halving from 2024.
The rush to leave comes amid one of the worst economic downturns since 1991, which analysts blame on low productivity and various policy missteps.
Unemployment ticked up to a near five-year high of 5.2% in the second quarter, data showed last week, while the labour force participation rate - which includes workers either employed or actively looking for work - fell to its lowest since the first quarter of 2021.
Since August 2024, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand has cut its cash rate by 225 basis points to support an economy which sank into recession last year. The economy showed signs of improvement with gross domestic product increasing 0.8% in the first quarter.
New Zealanders aged 18 to 30 years made up 38% of the departures, compared with a peak of 60% in 1979.
Economists and analysts have said New Zealanders, stung by fewer job opportunities and the cost of living, are looking to move to neighbouring Australia, Britain and elsewhere.
Australia has been offering relocation packages in sectors where they have skill shortages to lure New Zealanders, who do not need visas to work there. REUTERS
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Welcoming 1 million more foreign graduates could lift South Korea's GDP by 6%: Study
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox South Korea could unlock over US$100 billion (S$128.3 billion) in economic value by welcoming 1 million more skilled foreign graduates, according to new research that emphasises immigration as a possible answer to the country's shrinking workforce. The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry and a research team led by Korea University economics professor Kim Duk-pa released the findings on Aug 13. They analysed the economic effects of foreign talent using data from all 17 administrative regions of Korea between 2012 and 2023. The study found that when the share of registered foreign university graduates in the economically active population rises by one percentage point, per capita gross regional domestic product increases by about 0.11 per cent. As of July, South Korea had a population of 51.68 million, according to Statistics Korea. About 29.75 million are classed as economically active, meaning they are aged 15 or older and either employed or actively seeking work. Using this correlation, the researchers calculated that an additional 1 million foreign graduates could raise gross domestic product by around 6 per cent, or about 145 trillion won (S$134 billion). If the current 1.35 million registered foreign residents grew to 5 million, the gain could reach 361 trillion won. The urgency comes from a combination of a record-low birth rate and the world's fastest rate of population aging. Together, they are shrinking South Korea's workforce at an unprecedented pace. Yet the country has relatively few highly skilled foreign workers. Ministry of Justice data for 2023 shows that just 68,642 held professional work visas such as the E-1 (professor) or E-7 (specialty occupation) visa. The Korean Educational Development Institute counted only 52,154 foreign graduate students enrolled in 2024. That means the pool of talent with master's and doctorate degrees remains far below demand. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore 5 new walking trails allow hikers to explore heritage sites, win FairPrice, Cold Storage vouchers World Trump advises Ukraine's Zelensky to 'make a deal' with Russia after meeting Putin World Takeaways: Warm words contrast with cold reality of no deal at Trump-Putin summit Singapore Nowhere to run: Why Singapore needs to start protecting its coasts now Life Switching careers in middle age and beyond: How these Singapore professionals did it Asia 11,000 properties without power after 4.9-magnitude quake strikes near east coast of Australia Asia Move over, Labubu – Chiikawa is the new craze in Hong Kong Life English, physics, chemistry: These tutors take O-level exams every year Immigration as solution to 'ABCD' challenges The KCCI describes overseas recruitment as a way to address what it calls the nation's 'ABCD' challenges: adapting to artificial intelligence, reversing the low birth rate, improving competitiveness and boosting domestic demand. Professor Kim said the value of attracting skilled foreigners goes beyond merely increasing headcount. Foreign workers also stimulate consumption, improve labor productivity, strengthen industrial competitiveness and help modernise the economy. The report proposes creating cities designed for long-term settlement. These would offer visa incentives, tax breaks and strong education and health care services. Flexible regulation in designated zones would make social and economic integration easier. Another recommendation is to attract advanced manufacturing plants in sectors like semiconductors and AI. The idea is to link corporate investment directly to talent recruitment, giving companies a steady supply of specialised workers while turning regions into industrial hubs. A third strategy is to prepare overseas talent in advance. The KCCI suggests targeting students in countries such as Vietnam and Indonesia, where Korean culture has strong appeal. These students could be trained for Korean industries including shipbuilding, biotechnology and advanced manufacturing, with pathways for family settlement and long-term careers. 'In the age of AI, the global competition for talent is intensifying,' said Lee Jong-myung, head of the KCCI's industry innovation division. 'It is time to build internationally competitive cities that help foreign professionals settle quickly and contribute to growth.' THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Six-figure sales each durian season: Why durian sellers are now live selling on TikTok
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox SINGAPORE – When Mr Raay Lim started selling durians in May 2020 during the Covid-19 circuit breaker, he expected the long hours and physical toil, but not the non-stop yapping that would come to define his job now. Growing up, communication was never his strong suit. He had a habit of stammering and stuttering, so a career as a live streamer was the furthest thing from his mind. He went into the durian business to facilitate conversations, not lead them. 'I started out because my grandma loved durians a lot. Every durian season, we' d lay out the newspaper, sit and eat together. It's something I'll always remember. So, I hope that by starting my business, I'll be able to replicate these family moments for other people,' says the 32-year-old Singaporean owner of Zen Zu Fu Durians, which operates from a kerbside stall in Tiong Bahru. He set up shop firs t i n Queenstown, the n S in Ming and Bedok, and finall y T iong Bahru. But each successive neighbourhood proved no warmer than the last, with residents reluctant to leave their homes during the pandemic. 'It was very hard to build up a neighbourhood base. You need to give customers a reason to choose you over other more established stalls.' To a young newcomer like him, it was clear that the traditional model of business – a bricks-and-mortar stall, steady base of neighbourhood regulars – no longer cut it. The answer, then, lay online, on the one app that was taking over the world: TikTok. Live selling has helped Mr Lim reach new audiences. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG In June 2023, Mr Lim logged on and started live selling durians for the first time. It turned out to be the right move. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore 5 new walking trails allow hikers to explore heritage sites, win FairPrice, Cold Storage vouchers World Trump advises Ukraine's Zelensky to 'make a deal' with Russia after meeting Putin World Takeaways: Warm words contrast with cold reality of no deal at Trump-Putin summit Singapore Nowhere to run: Why Singapore needs to start protecting its coasts now Life Switching careers in middle age and beyond: How these Singapore professionals did it Asia 11,000 properties without power after 4.9-magnitude quake strikes near east coast of Australia Asia Move over, Labubu – Chiikawa is the new craze in Hong Kong Life English, physics, chemistry: These tutors take O-level exams every year About 70 per cent of his revenue now comes from TikTok Shop, where mao shan wang is priced at $50 a 500g box – the same as de-husked durians at his physical stall. He estimates that he racks up six figures in total in TikTok Shop sales during the main durian season in June. The harvests in December and March yield more modest returns. Oth er enterprising thorn sellers started to do the same, lured b y t he platform's sprawling reach and quick commerce. Over the last year, the app has yielded a bumper cro p. T he number of durian sellers on TikTok Shop grew by some 40 per cent, while gross merchandise value surged 185 per cent year-on-year, according to the company. Sellers such as Mr Josiah Jeremy Seow of Golden Moments Durian Cafe in Bugis and Mr Tony Seah of Vlack Durian in Bukit Batok also tried to catch the wave over the last couple of year s. 'The era of business has changed, and we have to adapt and enter the streaming arena,' say s M r Seah, a 41-year-old Singaporean . H e launched Vlack in 2020 and started live selling in June 2024. The results were remarkable. By the following year, revenue had risen by 40 to 50 per cent. A 400g to 450g box of mao shan wang sells for around $60 on Vlack's TikTok Shop, 10 per cent more than at the physical store due to c harges such as platform fees. Because his store is in an industrial estate, online outreach is a necessity. 'We can't attract thousands of customers daily with just our physical store, but on TikTok, we can get thousands to learn about our brand.' Mr Tony Seah's shop, Vlack Durian, is located at an industrial space in Bukit Batok. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE For seasoned live streamers like Ms Emily Tan, who goes by @EmObsessed online, durians have also proven a risky – as perishable foods tend to be – but lucrative trade. She had heard that durians were one of the easiest things to sell online, with a higher eyeballs-to-sales conversion rate than other fruit. 'At first, I was like, are you serious? Who buys durians on TikTok? I thought you'd want to get a feel or try the durian. But after doing one live stream, I realised the cult of durians is real,' says the 32-year-old Singaporean of her first live stream with Zen Zu Fu in Ap ril. She usually touts family-centric products online such as Zappy wipes. S he sold a five-figure sum from four hours with Zen Zu Fu, slightly more than the mid-four-to-five figures she usually generates from selling other products online. Friends first Online, the prickly product cannot speak for itself. It demands a personable host: charismatic, knowledgeable and ready to talk for hour s. On Mr Lim's live stream s, conversation ranges far beyond durians, running the gamut from routine exchanges – 'How are you' and 'Have you eaten?' – to deeper concerns, like the rising cost of living and how to help friends with mental health issues. The sessions can run for up to six hours. Sometimes, he chops durians concurrently. But multitasking can be exhausting and dangerous, so he takes occasional breaks from physical work to e ngage his viewers. 'I would say it's 20 per cent selling, 80 per cent chatting,' he says, taking care to differentiate himself from sellers who urge customers to just 'buy, buy, buy'. 'To do business, you must first build your community. When people know your sincerity and who you are, they are more likely to buy from you. The way I approach the live streaming is by thinking that maybe we can be friends first.' Mr Lim believes in first building rapport with customers before selling them anything. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG It seems to have worked. Viewers hang around for an average of two hours – for him, not the durians. Singaporean Ng Shu Huai, for example, has been following Zen Zu Fu's TikTok live sales for a year now. The 39-year-old, who works in the supply chain sector, tunes in every day after work and on weekend s . 'Raay's quite funny and the chats are always light-hearted, whic h helps me unwind after a long day,' she says. 'What keeps me coming back is Raay's honesty and sincerity. He never hard sells and remembers viewers' names, preferences and where they live.' On the other hand, she adds, buying in person can be quite intimidating. It is a sentiment Mr Lim says many millennial and Gen Z customers share, which is why he thinks TikTok has helped him reach a new demographic. 'Dur ian sellers can be intimidating in terms of their voices being loud. It's a bit hard to go down to their shop and speak to them because a lot of people can give into this kind of pressure.' On TikTok, however, the customer is king. Order a box if you like what you see. If not, just swipe past. Honesty is the best policy Ms Tan is not one to beg for business. Her style, she maintains, is transparent and honest, not pushy. She adds: 'If a customer says, 'Emily, I can't decide between red prawn and mao shan wang', some sellers will say, 'Buy both.' 'But I'll be like, 'Ask yourself if you want to eat something sweeter o r a bit bigger? And you can just purchase one. If it's good, next time, you can come back.'' Also emphasising candour, Mr Seow describes his style as educational. He starts by delving into the different types of durians an d th eir tastes in an engaging monologu e, sprinkled with facts and examples. For instance, he might explain why the price of durians is going up or break down what a bumper crop means for Singaporean buyers. 'When they know that we know our stuff, that's when we establish trust and rapport,' says the 36-year-old, who founded Golden Moments in 2017. Online, his durians are priced from $22 to $38 for each 400g box. Golden Moments Durian Cafe owner Josiah Jeremy Seow expanded his business to TikTok in 2023. ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO The live streaming at Golden Moments runs from 1 to 10pm every day, with shifts divided into two- to three-hour long blocks hosted by in-house staff or a roster of about 20 freelancers it cycles through. Mr Seow is conscious of the difference between online consumers and those who patronise his physical store. Shoppers on TikTok are more price-conscious, as the platform allows them to compare the cost across various stores at once. 'They tend to be more critical about the brand and product because they can see how many boxes have been sold and what a store's rating is like before making a decision to buy,' he notes. In response, he has tightened customer service, ensuring tha t ch ats are replied to and deliveries made on time. The durians are usually delivered within 90 minutes, as promised on its TikTok page, affording quick gratification. Vlack's Mr Seah takes a similarly informative approach. He introduces himself, answers questions, discusses the season's forecast and guides viewers through the types of durians in a manne r that is 'very direct, very clear'. Trust, in his case, is built by keeping the camera trained on a box of golden flesh, with a member of his team de-husking durians in the background. 'We're a premium durian specialist, so we believe in flexing the quality of our durians, instead of attracting people by showing our faces,' he quips. Because TikTok Shop accounts for 70 per cent of Vlack's sales, the team live streams from 3 to 10pm d aily. Mr Seah admits that it can get tiring, even when live-selling duties are shared among his team of six. Does he ever run out of things to say? 'No, I love to eat durians. S o, I 'm doing what I like on a daily basis.' Thorny side of TikTok Not every part of the process is sweet, however. The rush hour, which is usually from 5 to 8pm and brings a surge of around 50 orders, always gives the team a bit of a headache – albeit a happy one. It has to manage expectations, keep track of deliveries, get durians to customers within two to three hours, as well as soothe the ruffled feathers of those asked to reschedule their deliveries, should stocks run out. And if any box fails to meet expectations, customers are urged to reach out to Vlack's service recovery team. 'Durians are so expensive. We don't want customers to eat lousy quality durians. Just reach out to us. Don't be afraid, we're very friendly,' he assures. The Vlack Durian team takes turns to live stream its durians on TikTok Shop. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE But refunds occasionally pose a challenge to Mr Seow. 'Some customers are a bit harder to deal with, they're obviously there to troll. So they will tell you that it's very bad, but when you ask for photos and videos, they don't want to send. Then how do you justify the refund ?' Sellers on TikTok Shop must respond to re fund requests within one working day, but can reject a request on grounds of lack of evidence or if the product is 'used, damaged or removed from the original packaging'. Then there is the emotional exhaustion of having to continually pump out good vibes. While Mr Lim can usually feed off the energy of 50 to 100 viewers, his live stream has its quieter moments too. 'The toughest thing is motivating yourself when there are no viewers,' he says. 'You have to talk with the same kind of energy, but honestly, it's hard because you know you're talking to a wall.' But he keeps going anyway, for the sake of his business and to push himself out of his comfort zone. As for his stutter? After hours upon hours of chatting into a phone camera, only a trace of it remains. 'If people want to laugh at my stutter, honestly, just let them laugh,' he says. 'Everyone has his or her own shortcomings. You just have to accept who you are and face it.'
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
English, physics, chemistry: These tutors take O-level exams every year
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox (From left) Mr Linus Lin, Ms Ho Meng Yeng and Mr Ivan Lim pictured with their O-level certificates on Aug 5. SINGAPORE – When Mr Ivan Lim applied to work at tuition centre Keynote Learning Hub two years ago, he had an unusual job interview. 'I was asked, 'Would you mind taking the O-level exam as a private candidate?'' recalls the 38-year-old English tutor, a former international school teacher. 'It was a very strange interview question.' He is one of three tuition teachers at Keynote Learning who sit the Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level (GCE O-level) examination every year, usually in the subjects they teach. The practice is 'strongly encouraged' at the tuition centre at Ang Mo Kio for its full-time tutors, says Mr Linus Lin , 44, co-founder and head of department for science. Mr Lin himself has sat the O-level examinations 10 times since 2015, usually taking two to four subjects each time, while Ms Ho Meng Yeng, 45, another co-founder at Keynote Learning and its head of English, has been sitting the English language O-level paper since 2013, sometimes taking literature as well. The trio are taking their O-level exams again in 2025. The centre's other four tutors are part-time staff and do not take these exams. Keynote Learning offers group tuition, online and in-person, for primary and secondary school levels in English, science, mathematics and Chinese. Fees start at $240 for four weekly lessons for primary school pupils. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World Trump advises Ukraine's Zelensky to 'make a deal' with Russia after meeting Putin World Made-for-TV pageantry in Alaska as Trump brings Putin in from the cold Singapore Nowhere to run: Why Singapore needs to start protecting its coasts now Singapore Using nature, multi-use structures among solutions being studied to protect Singapore coastlines Life Switching careers in middle age and beyond: How these Singapore professionals did it Singapore HSA evaluating rapid urine test kits to enable faster detection of etomidate, found in Kpods Asia Move over, Labubu – Chiikawa is the new craze in Hong Kong Choosing the right kind of pen The idea to take the exams originated from Ms Ho even before Keynote Learning was launched in 2016. She and Mr Lin, whom she influenced in this regard, have been friends since the early 2000s. Ms Ho, a former Ministry of Education secondary school teacher, took the English and literature O-level exams in 2013 because she wanted to be 'really in touch' with the syllabus changes that year. She was working as a private tutor by then, and was not briefed by education authorities on the changes, unlike school teachers. After 12 years of taking O-level papers and having had the jitters while waiting for the oral exam, she knows how to advise her own students, some of whom have told her they 'blank out' during the exam, or get palpitations when they feel anxious. She guides them on how to stay calm during the oral exam, by teaching them square breathing, also known as box breathing. This deep-breathing relaxation technique involves inhaling, holding one's breath and exhaling for equal counts, typically for four seconds each time. Ms Ho Meng Yeng, a former Ministry of Education secondary school teacher, took the English and literature O-level exams in 2013 because she wanted to be 'really in touch' with the syllabus changes that year. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG She has views on the type of pen to use because 'handwriting matters'. She recommends using a pen with a fine 0.38mm nib for English Paper 2 – all the better to cram more words in the space provided in the exam booklet – and a 0.5mm ballpoint pen that flows well for the masses of writing required in Paper 1. Going into battle together Mainly, the tutors say they take the O-level exams repeatedly to empathise more fully with their charges. Working through 10-year series, compilations of national examination papers like the O- and A-levels, pales in comparison to the 'live action' of the exam hall. Mr Lin, who has been a tuition teacher since his 20s, says: 'I experience the change in the way the questions are designed and phrased over the years. The 10-year series is helpful but the difference is doing it at your own pace and taking the exam under time pressure. I can understand what my students are going through.' 'After the exam is over, it's easier to discuss the paper and how we have done. I can tell lots of stories afterwards and remind them not to make mistakes. It's also useful to teach them about handling anxiety and time management,' he says, describing himself and his students as 'war mates'. Mr Lim, who took the English paper in 2023 and 2024, adds: 'The first time I took the O-level paper was an eye-opener. I thought, 'Most educators are war theorists.'' His right hand ached badly after the writing-heavy Paper 1 in the first English language exam he took, which features Situational Writing and Continuous Writing. Mr Ivan Lim took the English paper in 2023 and 2024. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG After decades out of school, he was asked to respond to a statement like 'All you need to succeed in life is a positive attitude'. Mr Lim realised then that the O levels are 'quite demanding in terms of students' maturity'. 'I doubt I was so introspective at 16,' he reflects. The grades a tuition teacher gets The three tutors' result certificates, seen by The Straits Times, are a sea of A grades, mostly A1s (75 per cent and higher), followed by A2s (70 to 74 per cent). Their grades dip, sometimes drastically, when they embark on what they call 'experiments' and 'challenges'. For instance, in 2020, Ms Ho decided to 'leave all the difficult questions blank', resulting in a C6 grade, which ranges from 50 to 54 per cent. 'It was like a wake-up call for the very weak students at the beginning of the following year,' she says. Mr Lin has tackled different self-imposed 'challenges' in the 10 years he has taken the exams, often in response to students' questions. In 2016, he took the English paper in addition to the two subjects he teaches, physics and chemistry. 'In science, we need to have a good command of English to express our answers well. English was my worst subject in school. I hope it can be a message to my students that as long as you're willing to continue to improve, you can still achieve,' says Mr Lin, who got an A2 that year for English. His worst English grade as a student was C6. Mr Linus Lin once took a combined social studies and history paper to see what it was like, since social studies did not exist as an O-level subject when he was young. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG In 2020, besides English, physics and chemistry, he took the biology O-level exam, a subject he had never studied in school, because his students often ask him if physics or biology is 'easier'. (He found the latter easier to score well in.) While he usually does not study for the exams since he teaches the subjects, he spent several days mugging for the biology paper, for which he got a B3. He once took a combined social studies and history paper to see what it was like, since social studies did not exist as an O-level subject when he was young. The O-level examination fees for private candidates differ according to subject and citizenship. For example, Singapore citizens pay $105 each for subjects such as English and chemistry, and $100 for a humanities subject like combined social studies and history. While Keynote Learning foots the bill for the subjects the tutors teach and take exams in, Mr Lin paid his own fees for subjects he does not teach, like English and humanities. Mr Lin, who has been mistaken for an invigilator during one of his papers, says: 'Every time I take the exams, I feel happy because it's like I am 16 again.'
