Due to recruitment drives being executed in the country, Australia is attracting more and more New Zealanders to its shores to live and work, it has been claimed.

Statistics New Zealand has revealed that 34,600 people from the country moved to Australia from October 2007 to last month. Mansoor Khawaja, principal demographer for Statistics New Zealand, commented that these figures testify that the recruitment efforts of firms in south Australia, western Australia and Victoria are proving to be successful.

Factors such as competitive wages, sunnier climes and low taxes are all attractive incentives for New Zealand workers, he said.

Low taxes and the opportunity to be employed by larger firms are also driving reasons, but if the Australian economy is hit by the global downturn, it is likely that New Zealanders will return to their homeland in the future, Mr Khawaja added.The Recruitment and Consulting Services Association's quarterly survey recently revealed that engineering associates and technicians are the professionals most in demand at present in New Zealand.©