‘I know it’s a gamble’ – Kiwi on moving to London to find work

A New Zealand journalist whose article about her decision to move to the UK struck a chord with Kiwis searching for work has conceded it’s not guaranteed that the job market will be easier in Europe.

Natalia Sutherland’s article, published on 1News.co.nz last month, was read by tens of thousands of people and reflected the situation facing many in tough economic times.

With New Zealand’s economy having been in or close to recession for 18 months, the job market is tough for many, and record numbers have moved overseas since the pandemic.

Sutherland, who was made redundant by media company Warner Bros. Discovery earlier this year, has been freelancing ever since and hasn’t managed to land another full-time job.

She wrote last month of her decision to move to London: “I know it’s not personal — it’s business — and that’s why I’m packing my life up and leaving New Zealand in search of work.”

Today she sat down with Daniel Faitaua for TVNZ+ and admitted the grass isn’t necessarily greener on the other side.

“It is a gamble,” she said. “I do know that. The world is going through an economic crisis right now, post-Covid everywhere is dealing with high inflation, there’s conflict in the Middle East, still in Ukraine.

“But I needed to take control of my situation. I felt really powerless here, like a lot of Kiwis do. A lot of Kiwis have left, about 80,000 to Australia and the UK, and I knew that if I was going to carry on freelancing and if I had the ability to go to the UK and do it, I would take that gamble.”

The most recent economic indicators for the two countries show a similar picture — New Zealand’s economy contracted 0.2% in the June quarter while the UK performed slightly better, growing by just 0.5% in the three months to July.

The unemployment rate in the UK is currently 4.1%, while in NZ it is 4.6%.

Meanwhile, the latest official data showed 85,600 New Zealand citizens left the country in the year to May.

Sutherland said she would use her connections in the UK in her bid to find work, but wouldn’t hold out for jobs in the struggling media sector.

“It is not guaranteed, I do know that,” she said.

Watch the interview on TVNZ+