The recently released 2025 Employment Monitor provides a broad view of the perceptions and experiences of workers and employers in the New Zealand employment market from both a resident and a migrant perspective.
The research highlights individuals’ understanding of their rights and obligations under New Zealand employment standards, as well as levels of trust and satisfaction across key sectors.
The 2025 Employment Monitor is available here:
Employment Monitor report 2025 [PDF, 2.2 MB]
Surveys and research snapshots
Report findings
This year’s report findings reflect a tighter labour market, with specific segments of the workforce experiencing poorer work environments. However:
- worker knowledge of employment rights has improved
- both employers and workers are finding it easier to find information online.
The research highlights that communications from public sector agencies, such as Employment NZ (ENZ) and Immigration NZ (INZ), are reaching workers directly, helping to overcome potential barriers that may exist in workplace environments. It also suggests that the perceived credibility and approachability of these agencies plays a role in workers’ willingness to engage with government services through channels like email and service centres.
The temporary migrant worker and employer research has been ongoing now for 4 years and shows strong uptake of employer accreditation under the Accredited Employer Work Visa scheme in 2025 aligning with evolving patterns in migrant employment and the changing demographics of the migrant workforce.
The risk of exploitation is lower in 2025, and migrant workers know more about their employment rights and are happier with their employment conditions. Again, communication has strengthened, with rising interest, on the part of both migrant workers and employers of migrant workers, in learning more about their rights and obligations.
However, despite this more positive picture in 2025, challenges remain, with significantly more migrant workers from China voicing concerns about employment conditions, around a quarter of migrant workers remaining at risk of exploitation, and a similar proportion of employers of migrant workers at potential risk of exploiting workers.
These results reflect work in the last 2 years to improve our information channels, including a complete upgrade to our ENZ website, improved content on the INZ website, the updating of INZ approval letters and post-approval emails, running campaigns to raise awareness about immigration scams, and increased communications with employers.
The Employment Monitor, and selected snapshots of its research are available here:
Surveys and research snapshots