ASSESSING THE LABOUR MARKET RESPONSE DUE TO COVID-19 BORDER RESTRICTIONS: A CASE STUDY OF CANTERBURY, NEW ZEALAND

ABSTRACT

A population growth model is utilised to test the regional labour market's limits, while an economic model estimates the required jobs for the regional economy. In this study, we use Canterbury economic data to assess the impact of the COVID-19 shock to assess the labour needs in the regional economy given short-term restrictions on immigration and the role of population growth for the regional labour market. [...]the relationship between population and economic growth is a contested one. Peterson (2017) highlights that an aging population implies that a smaller number of working-age people will have to support growing numbers of retirees and likely slow economic growth, unless productivity increases.