Back to main menuGlobal shifts in the labour market & what they could mean for Aotearoa New Zealand
Nov 17, 2026
Join us for a free Motu Research (with support from The Treasury New Zealand) public policy seminar on "Global shifts in the labour market and what they could mean for Aotearoa New Zealand".
We have four speakers with expertise in labour markets (Alexander Hijzen, OECD; Dr Lisa Meehan, Director, New Zealand Policy Research Institute; Christopher Ball, RBNZ; and Amanda Reid, CEO of BERL). Their presentations will be followed by audience questions.
You can attend this seminar either in person or online. We will provide the recording and slides afterwards.
For in person participants - please allow yourself time to sign in at The Treasury reception (level 3, 1 The Terrace). Morning tea is available at the venue from 10am.
Motu Research seminars bring expert research into conversation with policy makers, researchers and other stakeholders. Speakers present their findings, then take questions from a panel and the audience. Recent seminars have covered Treasury's social discount rate, children's development, and public housing and wellbeing. You can see recordings of our past seminars here.
When: 17 November from 10.30am-12pm (if attending in person, morning tea served from 10am).
Where: The Treasury seminar room, 1 The Terrace, Wellington AND on online.
Register: click here to register to attend in person and here to register to attend online.
Video call details for online participants:
Microsoft Teams meeting
Join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/411230592011907?p=LzPaskP44f1CqcwCCU
Meeting ID: 411 230 592 011 907
Passcode: nk2hV9NW
About the speakers
Alexander Hijzen, OECD is a senior economist at the Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs of the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), the project leader of the OECD LinkEED 2.0 network and a Research Fellow of IZA@LISER. He has previously worked at the International Monetary Fund and Centre for Research on Globalisation and Economic Policy (GEP) at the University of Nottingham. His research has been published in international academic journals. Alexander holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Nottingham and is of Dutch citizenship. He has worked on job mobility, labour reallocation, ageing and productivity, income distribution and labour economics more broadly. Alexander will speak about two chapters in the recent OECD analysis called Employment Outlook. The chapters are “Reviving growth in an ageing world: The role of job mobility”, that includes Aotearoa New Zealand - and “Places and people: The impact of structural change on local labour markets”.
Dr Lisa Meehan, Director, New Zealand Policy Research Institute, Auckland University of Technology. Lisa is an applied economist with extensive experience in economic research and public policy, having previously worked at the OECD, the New Zealand Productivity Commission and the New Zealand Treasury. Her research focuses on labour markets, productivity, education, health, workforce diversity and inequality. She is particularly interested in how technological change (including artificial intelligence) may affect skills development, employment opportunities and labour market inequality. She has recently worked on productivity growth, New Zealand’s labour income share, and broader shifts in labour markets.
Christopher Ball, RBNZ is a Senior Advisor in the Research and Analytics team at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand. His recent work includes research on job-to-job mobility in New Zealand and the exposure of the New Zealand labour market to artificial intelligence and robotics.
Amanda Reid, CEO of BERL, whose work spans labour market trends, workforce development, and future workforce challenges in Aotearoa New Zealand. She will speak on the labour market impacts of AI, and technology more broadly, particularly what these shifts could mean for young people.
Motu Public Policy Seminars are free to the public, but please subscribe to receive email notifications of Motu Research's events and publications.
Thanks to The Treasury NZ and Russell McVeagh for their generous support of our seminars.
