Employment Rate in New Zealand remained unchanged at 66.70 percent in the first quarter of 2026, the same as in the fourth quarter of 2025. Employment Rate in New Zealand averaged 63.56 percent from 1986 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 69.70 percent in the second quarter of 2023 and a record low of 56.40 percent in the fourth quarter of 1991. source: Statistics New Zealand

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