Tongan people in New Zealand

Labour force participation

The labour force consists of adults (aged 15 years and over) employed or unemployed and actively seeking employment.

• Sixty-two percent of Tongan adults were participating in the labour force at the time of the 2001 Census – a similar level to 1996 (61 percent). By comparison, labour force participation rates among the Pacific and the New Zealand populations were 65 percent and 67 percent respectively.
• The New Zealand-born Tongan population had a higher rate of labour force participation (64 percent) than overseas-born Tongans (61 percent) in 2001.

• Tongan men were more likely to participate in the labour force than Tongan women in 2001 (69 percent and 54 percent respectively).
• Labour force participation among the Tongan population was lower than that of the New Zealand population across all age groups, as figure 6.1 shows. The respective labour force participation rates widen after the 30–34 year age group, before converging again among those aged 65 years and over.

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Employment

The employment rate is the proportion of the adult population (aged 15 years and over) who are employed in either full-time or part-time paid work.

• At the time of the 2001 Census, 51 percent of the Tongan adult population were employed – continuing the upward trend from 50 percent in 1996 and 40 percent in 1991. In 2001, 55 percent of the Pacific population were employed, while the employment rate for the New Zealand population was 62 percent.
• The employment rate for the Tongan population rose from 74 percent of the New Zealand employment rate in 1991 to 82 percent in 2001, as can be seen in figure 6.2.

• Overseas-born Tongans (52 percent) had a similar employment rate as Tongan people born in New Zealand (51 percent).
• Tongan men (58 percent) had a higher employment rate than Tongan women (45 percent).
• In 2001, employment rates among Tongan people were highest among those aged 40–44 years and 45–49 years (both 65 percent).

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Unemployment

The unemployment rate is the proportion of the labour force who are unemployed, available for work and actively seeking employment.

• Approximately 2,400 Tongan adults, or 17 percent of the Tongan labour force, were unemployed at the time of the 2001 Census. The unemployment rate for the Pacific population was 16 percent – more than double that for the New Zealand population in 2001 (7 percent).
• The Tongan unemployment rate at the 2001 Census was one percentage point lower than at the 1996 Census (18 percent) and much lower than at the beginning of the decade (22 percent in 1991).
• New Zealand-born Tongans had a higher unemployment rate (21 percent) than their overseas-born counterparts (15 percent) in 2001 – with the younger age profile of the New Zealand-born Tongan population a possible contributing factor.
• Tongan women had a marginally higher rate of unemployment (18 percent) than Tongan men (16 percent) in 2001.
• The unemployment rate among the Tongan population is higher than the New Zealand population across all age groups, as figure 6.3 illustrates.

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Occupation

• In 2001, the most common occupations for employed Tongan adults were plant and machine operators and assemblers (20 percent), service and sales workers, and elementary occupations (both 17 percent).
• In the decade to 2001, Tongan people were increasingly employed in ‘white-collar’ occupations. The proportion of Tongan adults employed as service and sales workers increased by 5 percentage points between 1991 and 2001 to 17 percent, while those employed as clerks rose 4 percentage points to 13 percent. The proportions of Tongans employed as professionals, and as associate professionals and technicians, also increased during this period, as figure 6.4 illustrates.

 

• Conversely, the proportion of Tongan adults employed in ‘blue-collar’ occupation categories, such as trades workers and plant and machine operators and assemblers, declined between 1991 and 2001.
• New Zealand-born Tongans are more likely than their overseas-born counterparts to be employed in 'white collar' occupations, such as technicians and associate professionals (13 percent compared with 5 percent), clerks (19 percent compared with 10 percent) and legislators, administrators and managers (7 percent compared with 3 percent).
• Tongans born overseas are more likely than their New Zealand-born counterparts to be employed as trades workers (10 percent compared with 7 percent), plant and machine operators and assemblers (24 percent compared with 10 percent) and in elementary occupations (20 percent compared with 10 percent).
• There are considerable occupational differences between the sexes, as shown in figure 6.5. In 2001, Tongan women were more likely than men to be employed in 'white collar' categories – such as professionals, technicians and associate professionals, service and sales workers and as clerks. Conversely, Tongan men were more likely to be employed as trades workers and as plant and machine operators and assemblers.

• As increasing numbers of the Tongan population gain formal qualifications, young Tongan people are becoming less likely to be employed in ‘blue collar’ jobs and are gradually moving into 'white collar' occupations. In 2001, Tongans aged 25–34 years were more likely than those aged 35–44 years to be employed as technicians and associate professionals (10 percent compared with 6 percent) and less likely to be employed as plant and machine operators and assemblers (14 percent compared with 23 percent).

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Industry

• More than a quarter (28 percent) of employed Tongan adults worked in manufacturing in 2001. As figure 6.6 shows, property and business services was the next most common industry (11 percent), followed by retail trade and health and community services – both employing 9 percent of Tongan adults.

• New Zealand-born Tongans were more likely than those born overseas to work in certain industries, such as retail trade (14 percent and 8 percent respectively) and in accommodation, cafes and restaurants (9 percent and 6 percent).
• Tongans born overseas were much more likely than their New Zealand-born counterparts to work in the manufacturing industry (33 percent and 15 percent respectively) and in health and community services (10 percent and 6 percent).

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Self-employment

• Two percent of employed Tongan adults were employers in 2001, while 5 percent were self-employed without employees – similar to the comparable figures for the Pacific population in 2001 (2 percent and 4 percent respectively). By comparison, employers and the self-employed made up 8 percent and 13 percent respectively of the employed New Zealand population.