New Zealand Unemployment Rate  1985-2018 | Data | Chart | Calendar

New Zealand's unemployment rate edged down to 4.4 percent in the first quarter of 2018 from 4.5 percent in the previous period, matching market expectations. This was the fifth consecutive quarter the unemployment rate has fallen and was the lowest rate since the last quarter of 2008, as the number of unemployed went down by 3,000 to 119 thousand and employment went up by 15 thousand to 2.618 million. The labor force participation rate edged down 0.1 percentage points to 70.8 percent in the first quarter. Unemployment Rate in New Zealand averaged 6.06 percent from 1985 until 2018, reaching an all time high of 11.20 percent in the third quarter of 1991 and a record low of 3.30 percent in the fourth quarter of 2007.

New Zealand Unemployment Rate
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New Zealand Jobless Rate Falls to 9-Year Low in Q1


New Zealand's unemployment rate edged down to 4.4 percent in the first quarter of 2018 from 4.5 percent in the previous period, matching market expectations.

This was the fifth consecutive quarter the unemployment rate has fallen and was the lowest rate since the last quarter of 2008, as the number of unemployed went down by 3,000 to 119 thousand and employment went up by 15 thousand to 2.618 million.

The labor force participation rate edged down 0.1 percentage points to 70.8 percent in the first quarter.

The underutilisation rate fell to 11.9 percent from 12.2 percent, reflecting about 340 thousand New Zealanders with potential to work more.

Annual wage inflation, as measured by the labor cost index, stood at 1.8 percent in the first quarter, unchanged from the previous period. Private sector wages rose by 1.9 percent (vs 1.9 percent in the previous quarter) and the growth of public sector wages was recorded at 1.5 percent (vs 1.5 percent). On a quarterly basis, wages increased by 0.3 percent, down from a 0.4 percent climb in the previous quarter.


Statistics New Zealand | Mario | mario@tradingeconomics.com
5/2/2018 11:14:14 AM


Recent Releases

New Zealand Jobless Rate at 9-Year Low in Q4
New Zealand's unemployment rate edged down to 4.5 percent in the fourth quarter of 2017 from 4.6 percent in the previous period, below market expectations of 4.6 percent. It was the fourth straight decline and the lowest jobless rate since the last quarter of 2008.
Published on 2018-02-07

New Zealand Jobless Rate Down to 9-Year Low of 4.6%
New Zealand's unemployment rate edged down to 4.6 percent in the third quarter of 2017 from 4.8 percent in the previous period, below market expectations of 4.7 percent. It was the third straight decline and the lowest jobless rate since the last quarter of 2008.
Published on 2017-11-01

New Zealand Jobless Rate Edges Down To 4.8% In Q2
New Zealand's unemployment rate edged down to 4.8 percent in the second quarter of 2017 from 4.9 percent in the previous period, matching market expectations. It was the lowest jobless rate since the last quarter of 2008, as the number of unemployed fell by 2.2 percent on quarter while employment went down 0.2 percent. The labor force participation rate decreased to a one-year low of 70.0 percent.
Published on 2017-08-02

New Zealand Jobless Rate Falls To 4.9%
New Zealand's unemployment rate decreased to 4.9 percent in the first quarter of 2017 from 5.2 percent in the previous period, below market expectations of 5.2 percent. It was the lowest unemployment rate in six months and the second lowest in more than 8 years, as the number of unemployed fell by 4.4 percent on quarter while employment went up 1.2 percent.
Published on 2017-05-02



Calendar GMT Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2017-10-31 09:45 PM Unemployment Rate 4.6% 4.8% 4.7% 4.7%
2018-02-06 09:45 PM Unemployment Rate 4.5% 4.6% 4.6% 4.5%
2018-05-01 10:45 PM Unemployment Rate 4.4% 4.5% 4.4% 4.6%
2018-07-31 10:45 PM Unemployment Rate 4.4% 4.3%
2018-10-31 09:45 PM Unemployment Rate 4.3%


New Zealand Labour Last Previous Highest Lowest Unit
Unemployment Rate 4.40 4.50 11.20 3.30 percent [+]
Employed Persons 2618.00 2603.00 2618.00 1499.00 Thousand [+]
Unemployed Persons 119.00 122.00 189.00 69.00 Thousand [+]
Employment Change 0.60 0.50 2.50 -1.80 percent [+]
Labor Force Participation Rate 70.80 70.90 71.10 63.00 percent [+]
Labour Costs 1162.00 1158.00 1162.00 700.00 Index Points [+]
Productivity 167.97 168.43 171.61 117.96 Index Points [+]
Job Vacancies 191.48 199.44 200.70 55.20 Index Points [+]
Job Advertisements 43165.08 43867.99 44122.68 14139.22 [+]
Wages 31.03 30.74 31.03 13.07 NZD/Hour [+]
Wages in Manufacturing 29.53 29.24 29.53 12.44 NZD/Hour [+]
Minimum Wages 16.50 15.75 16.50 10.25 NZD/Hour [+]
Population 4.84 4.75 4.84 2.37 Million [+]
Retirement Age Women 65.00 65.00 65.00 65.00 [+]
Retirement Age Men 65.00 65.00 65.00 65.00 [+]
Youth Unemployment Rate 11.20 11.20 15.30 10.30 percent [+]
Part Time Employment 554.00 552.00 555.00 264.00 Thousand [+]
Employment Rate 67.70 67.70 67.80 56.40 percent [+]
Full Time Employment 2062.00 2050.00 2062.00 1177.00 Thousand [+]


New Zealand Unemployment Rate

In New Zealand, the unemployment rate measures the number of people actively looking for a job as a percentage of the labour force. This page provides - New Zealand Unemployment Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news. New Zealand Unemployment Rate - actual data, historical chart and calendar of releases - was last updated on July of 2018.

Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
4.40 4.50 11.20 3.30 1985 - 2018 percent Quarterly




unemployment rate by Country
Country Last
Spain 16.74 Mar/18
Brazil 12.70 May/18
Italy 10.70 May/18
Turkey 9.60 Apr/18
France 9.20 Mar/18
Euro Area 8.40 May/18
Canada 6.00 Jun/18
Australia 5.40 Jun/18
Indonesia 5.13 Mar/18
Russia 4.70 Jun/18
United Kingdom 4.20 May/18
United States 4.00 Jun/18
Netherlands 3.90 Jun/18
China 3.89 Mar/18
South Korea 3.70 Jun/18
India 3.52 Dec/17
Germany 3.40 May/18
Mexico 3.20 May/18
Switzerland 2.40 Jun/18
Japan 2.20 May/18


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