Employment in New Zealand increased by 0.20 percent in the first quarter of 2026, after rising 0.50 percent in the fourth quarter of 2025. Employment Change in New Zealand averaged 0.37 percent from 1986 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 2.60 percent in the second quarter of 2016 and a record low of -1.80 percent in the first quarter of 2009. source: Statistics New Zealand

Employment in New Zealand increased by 0.20 in March of 2026.

Employment in New Zealand increased by 0.20 in March of 2026. Employment Change in New Zealand is expected to be -0.10 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the New Zealand Employment Change is projected to trend around 0.30 percent in 2027 and 0.20 percent in 2028, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-02-03 09:45 PM
Employment Change QoQ
Q4 0.5% 0% 0.3% 0.2%
2026-05-05 10:45 PM
Employment Change QoQ
Q1 0.2% 0.5% 0.3% 0.3%
2026-08-05 10:45 PM
Employment Change QoQ
Q2 0.2% -0.1%


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Employed Persons 2889.00 2885.00 Thousand Mar 2026
Employment Change 0.20 0.50 percent Mar 2026
Employment Rate 66.70 66.70 percent Mar 2026
Full Time Employment 2303.00 2300.00 Thousand Mar 2026
Participation Rate 70.40 70.50 percent Mar 2026
Labour Costs Index 1450.00 1443.00 points Mar 2026
Part Time Employment 588.00 585.00 Thousand Mar 2026
Population 5.34 5.31 Million Dec 2025
Productivity 1391.00 1380.00 points Dec 2025
Unemployed Persons 163.00 165.00 Thousand Mar 2026
Unemployment Rate 5.30 5.40 percent Mar 2026
Wages 44.20 44.08 NZD/Hour Mar 2026
Wages in Manufacturing 40.66 40.54 NZD/Hour Mar 2026
Youth Unemployment Rate 15.90 13.50 percent Mar 2026


New Zealand Employment Change
In New Zealand, Employment Change measures the quarter-on-quarter change in the number of employed people.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
0.20 0.50 2.60 -1.80 1986 - 2026 percent Quarterly
SA