Expats on dole

Jobless Kiwi expats flooding home from exotic finance capitals like Dubai and London are worrying the Government as they sign up for the unemployment benefit.

New Zealanders who moved their families to the Middle East in pursuit of lucrative salaries have been hard-hit by the almost total shutdown of the finance and construction industries.

They are also returning from the UK, where there have been mass redundancies, and from the United States, Canada and China.

"We're seeing an increase in New Zealanders coming home, and a large number deciding to defer their travel," Social Development Minister Paula Bennett said.

"The increase of returning New Zealanders on the labour market is expected to add further pressure to unemployment, and that's of concern to this Government."

Statistics NZ figures released this week showed 24,500 Kiwis had returned in the year to April and others had postponed travel plans.

Migrant arrival numbers were also up, especially for those with student or work permits.