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. source: Statistics New Zealand

Unemployment Rate in New Zealand increased to 5.40 percent in the fourth quarter of 2025 from 5.30 percent in the third quarter of 2025. Unemployment Rate in New Zealand averaged 5.73 percent from 1985 until 2025, 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 February of 2026.

Unemployment Rate in New Zealand increased to 5.40 percent in the fourth quarter of 2025 from 5.30 percent in the third quarter of 2025. Unemployment Rate in New Zealand is expected to be 5.30 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
2025-11-04 09:45 PM
Unemployment Rate
Q3 5.3% 5.2% 5.3% 5.3%
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 5.4% 5.3%


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 5.36 5.31 Million Dec 2024
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 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
5.40 5.30 11.20 3.20 1985 - 2025 percent Quarterly
SA

News Stream
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
New Zealand Jobless Rate Rises to 5.2% in Q2
New Zealand's unemployment rate edged up to 5.2% in the June quarter of 2025, slightly above the previous quarter's 5.1% and in line with market expectations. The number of unemployed individuals rose to 158,000, up from 156,000 in March and marking an annual increase of 16,000 people, or 11.1%. Meanwhile, the seasonally adjusted labour force participation rate dipped to 70.5% from 70.7% in the previous quarter, indicating a slight contraction in workforce engagement. The underutilisation rate—a broader measure of spare labour capacity—also climbed to 12.8%, up from 12.4% in March and 11.9% a year earlier. These figures suggest growing slack in the labor market, adding pressure on policymakers as economic momentum continues to soften.
2025-08-05