New Zealand Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse says two recent reports show the huge benefits of the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme to employers, workers and the Pacific region.
A report into a pilot project involving 640 Tongan and Samoan RSE workers has found that they sent home more than 40 per cent of their take-home income between November 2014 and June 2015 –an average of between $4,600 and $5,500 (US$2,996) – US$3,583).
“Remittances have been playing an increasingly important role in reducing the scale and severity of poverty in the developing world,” says Woodhouse.
“The World Bank estimates that in 2013, remittances made up approximately 20 percent of GDP in Samoa and Tonga respectively.
“The study also shows that income derived from the RSE scheme supports on average more than nine other people, further illustrating why the RSE scheme was recently ranked among the most effective development policies in the world.”
RSE employers also continue to praise the scheme with an annual survey showing 95 per cent of them believe the benefits of participating in the scheme outweigh the costs.
“The 76 RSE employers who took part in the survey rated their workers very positively, with four in five employers able to employ more New Zealand workers as they have been able to expand their business,” says Woodhouse.
“The survey results demonstrate yet again that the RSE scheme is a shining example of best practice where everyone benefits – employers, RSE workers and their home communities and New Zealand workers.”