Labor Force Participation Rate in New Zealand increased to 70.50 percent in the fourth quarter of 2025 from 70.30 percent in the third quarter of 2025. Labor Force Participation Rate in New Zealand averaged 67.36 percent from 1986 until 2025, reaching an all time high of 72.40 percent in the second quarter of 2023 and a record low of 63.00 percent in the first quarter of 1993. source: Statistics New Zealand

Labor Force Participation Rate in New Zealand is expected to be 70.90 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the New Zealand Labor Force Participation Rate is projected to trend around 71.50 percent in 2027, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2025-11-04 09:45 PM
Participation Rate
Q3 70.3% 70.5% 70.7%
2026-02-03 09:45 PM
Participation Rate
Q4 70.5% 70.3% 70.3% 70.5%
2026-05-05 10:45 PM
Participation Rate
Q1 70.5% 70.9%


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Employed Persons 2886.00 2872.00 Thousand Dec 2025
Employment Change 0.50 0.00 percent Dec 2025
Employment Rate 66.70 66.60 percent Dec 2025
Full Time Employment 2299.00 2293.00 Thousand Dec 2025
Participation Rate 70.50 70.30 percent Dec 2025
Labour Costs Index 1434.00 1427.00 points Sep 2025
Part Time Employment 586.00 581.00 Thousand Dec 2025
Population 5.34 5.31 Million Dec 2025
Productivity 1376.00 1385.00 points Dec 2024
Unemployed Persons 165.00 161.00 Thousand Dec 2025
Unemployment Rate 5.40 5.30 percent Dec 2025
Wages 44.08 43.68 NZD/Hour Dec 2025
Wages in Manufacturing 40.54 40.65 NZD/Hour Dec 2025
Youth Unemployment Rate 13.20 13.70 percent Dec 2025


New Zealand Labor Force Participation Rate
The labour force participation rates is the number of persons who are employed and unemployed but looking for a job divided by the total working-age population.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
70.50 70.30 72.40 63.00 1986 - 2025 percent Quarterly
SA