New Zealand Immigration Confounds Forecasters as Arrivals Surge
- 2023 annual net immigration set to be double previous forecast
- Normal immigration inflows not expected to return until 2026
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New Zealand’s immigration surge continues to stump forecasters, with the government’s own advisers now seeing tens of thousands more people settling than they anticipated in the middle of the year.
Data released by the Treasury Department in its half-year update Wednesday show annual net immigration is projected to be 117,700 in 2023 — more than double the forecast in May’s budget. The outlook for 2024 is now for 58,500 net arrivals, 43% higher than the mid-year analysis.