New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English said Monday his country has to rely on immigrant workers because many locals can’t pass workplace drug tests.
English made the comments to journalists when answering questions about New Zealand’s rising immigration numbers.
The country recorded a net migration gain of 71,300 in the year up to Jan. 31 Statistics New Zealand said in a report released on Monday.
At the press conference, English was asked why 140,000 unemployed New Zealanders couldn’t fill the skill shortages in the Pacific country with 4.8 million inhabitants.
“One of the hurdles these days is just passing a drug test,” English said.
“Under workplace safety you can’t have people on your premises under the influence of drugs and a lot of our younger people can’t pass that test.”
In 2012, a study published in medical journal “The Lancet,” showed that Australians and New Zealanders have some of the highest usage rates of cannabis and methamphetamines in the world.
But English also told the press conference that record immigration levels was a good problem for his country to have.
“This is what it feels like to be in a growing economy with some confidence and some direction and the government is focused on supporting that growth, not trying to shut it off,” he said.(dpa/NAN)
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