New Zealand's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate inched down to 5.3% in the March 2026 quarter, lower than both the previous quarter and market expectations of 5.4%. The latest reading declined from the highest jobless rate since the September 2015 quarter in Q4 of 2025, as the number of unemployed individuals fell by 2,000 from the prior quarter to 163,000. At the same time, employment increased by 4 thousand to 2.89 million during the quarter, bringing the employment rate to 66.7%, unchanged from Q4. The labour force participation rate also edged down to 70.4%, lower than both the previous quarter and market expectations of 70.5%, signaling a modest decline in workforce engagement. The underutilisation rate, a broader measure of spare labour, stood at 12.9%, well above the 12.4% level a year earlier. These figures pointed to mixed signals on labour market slack, suggesting a tentative improvement in overall conditions. source: Statistics New Zealand

Unemployment Rate in New Zealand decreased to 5.30 percent in the first quarter of 2026 from 5.40 percent in the fourth quarter of 2025. Unemployment Rate in New Zealand averaged 5.73 percent from 1985 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 11.20 percent in the third quarter of 1991 and a record low of 3.20 percent in the fourth quarter of 2021. This page provides - New Zealand Unemployment Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news. New Zealand Unemployment Rate - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on May of 2026.

Unemployment Rate in New Zealand decreased to 5.30 percent in the first quarter of 2026 from 5.40 percent in the fourth quarter of 2025. Unemployment Rate in New Zealand is expected to be 5.50 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the New Zealand Unemployment Rate is projected to trend around 4.20 percent in 2027 and 4.00 percent in 2028, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-02-03 09:45 PM
Unemployment Rate
Q4 5.4% 5.3% 5.3% 5.3%
2026-05-05 10:45 PM
Unemployment Rate
Q1 5.3% 5.4% 5.4% 5.3%
2026-08-05 10:45 PM
Unemployment Rate
Q2 5.3% 5.50%


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 1376.00 1385.00 points Dec 2024
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 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.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
5.30 5.40 11.20 3.20 1985 - 2026 percent Quarterly
SA

News Stream
New Zealand Jobless Rate Falls Below Forecasts
New Zealand's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate inched down to 5.3% in the March 2026 quarter, lower than both the previous quarter and market expectations of 5.4%. The latest reading declined from the highest jobless rate since the September 2015 quarter in Q4 of 2025, as the number of unemployed individuals fell by 2,000 from the prior quarter to 163,000. At the same time, employment increased by 4 thousand to 2.89 million during the quarter, bringing the employment rate to 66.7%, unchanged from Q4. The labour force participation rate also edged down to 70.4%, lower than both the previous quarter and market expectations of 70.5%, signaling a modest decline in workforce engagement. The underutilisation rate, a broader measure of spare labour, stood at 12.9%, well above the 12.4% level a year earlier. These figures pointed to mixed signals on labour market slack, suggesting a tentative improvement in overall conditions.
2026-05-05
New Zealand Jobless Rate Highest Since Q3 2015
New Zealand's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate edged up to 5.4% in the December 2025 quarter, higher than both the previous quarter and market expectations of 5.3%. This was the highest jobless rate since the September 2015 quarter, as the number of unemployed individuals rose by 5,000 from the prior quarter to 165,000. At the same time, employment rose marginally during the quarter. The labour force participation rate also rose to 70.5% from 70.3%, signaling a modest increase in workforce engagement. The underutilisation rate, a broader measure of spare labour capacity, stood at 13.0% and was well above the 12.2% level a year earlier. These figures pointed to higher engagement in the labour market amid mixed signals on slack, suggesting a tentative improvement in conditions.
2026-02-03
New Zealand Jobless Rate Highest Since 2016
New Zealand's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate edged up to 5.3% in the September 2025 quarter from 5.2% in the previous period, matching market expectations. This was the highest jobless rate since the fourth quarter of 2016, as the number of unemployed individuals rose by 2,000 from the prior quarter to 160,000. At the same time, employment growth stalled during the quarter. The labour force participation rate also fell to 70.3% from 70.5%, signaling a modest decline in workforce engagement. The underutilisation rate, a broader measure of spare labour capacity, ticked up to 12.9% from 12.8% and was well above the 11.7% level a year earlier. These figures pointed to rising slack in the labour market amid a softening economic momentum, underlining the need for further policy stimulus.
2025-11-04