New Zealand Unemployment Rate

The unemployment rate in New Zealand was last reported at 6.7 percent in the first quarter of 2012. Historically, from 1985 until 2012, New Zealand Unemployment Rate averaged 6.2700 Percent reaching an all time high of 11.2000 Percent in September of 1991 and a record low of 3.5000 Percent in December of 2007. The unemployment rate can be defined as the number of people actively looking for a job as a percentage of the labour force. This page includes a chart with historical data for New Zealand Unemployment Rate.

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New Zealand Uneployment Up to 6.7 in Q1
Published on 5/3/2012 6:15:24 PM | By TradingEconomics.com, Statistics New Zealand

The unemployment rate rose to 6.7 percent in the March 2012 quarter, Statistics New Zealand said on May 3rd. This is up from a revised figure of 6.4 percent last quarter. The labour force grew by 18,000, with 9,000 more people employed as well as 9,000 more people unemployed in the March 2012 quarter.

We saw increases in both the number of people in work and the number out there looking for work in the March 2012 quarter. This meant participation in the labour force rose to the highest level since its peak just over three years ago,” industry and labour statistics manager Diane Ramsay said.

The employment rate (the proportion of the working-age population in employment) rose to 64.2 percent in the March 2012 quarter. The employment rate had been 63.9 percent in each of the previous three quarters.

Compared with the December 2011 quarter part-time employment rose 2.5 percent, to a new peak in the March quarter. In contrast, full-time employment fell slightly (down 0.2 percent).

The rise in unemployment reflected more women in unemployment, while no more men were unemployed. This meant the same number of men and women were unemployed.

The Household Labour Force Survey results are based on a representative sample of 15,000 households throughout New Zealand. The survey is designed to produce reliable estimates of the numbers of people employed, unemployed, and not in the labour force.

Unemployment Rate
The unemployment rate can be defined as the number of people actively looking for a job divided by the labour force. Changes in unemployment depend mostly on inflows made up of non-employed people starting to look for jobs, of employed people who lose their jobs and look for new ones and of people who stop looking for employment. Related terms are the labour force, the participation rate and the employment rate. The labour force is defined as the number of people employed plus the number unemployed but seeking work. The non-labour force includes those who are not looking for work, those who are institutionalised such as in prisons or psychiatric wards, stay-at home spouses, children, and those serving in the military. The participation rate is the number of people in the labour force divided by the population of working age that is not institutionalised. The employment rate is defined as the number of people currently employed divided by the population of working age.

NEW ZEALAND NEWS

New Zealand Trade Surplus Widens in April
Published: 5/24/2012 3:25:32 PM By: TradingEconomics.com, Statistics New Zealand
New Zealand trade balance for April 2012 was a surplus of $355 million (9.1 percent of exports). For the year ended April 2012, there was an annual trade deficit of $541 million (1.2 percent of exports).

New Zealand Uneployment Up to 6.7 in Q1
Published: 5/3/2012 6:15:24 PM By: TradingEconomics.com, Statistics New Zealand
The unemployment rate rose to 6.7 percent in the March 2012 quarter, Statistics New Zealand said on May 3rd. This is up from a revised figure of 6.4 percent last quarter. The labour force grew by 18,000, with 9,000 more people employed as well as 9,000 more people unemployed in the March 2012 quarter.

New Zealand Reports Trade Surplus in February
Published: 3/28/2012 6:06:04 PM By: TradingEconomics.com, Statistics New Zealand
In February 2012, there was a trade surplus of $161 million (4.5 percent of exports). This compares with an average surplus of 6.1 percent of exports over the previous five February months, although there was a deficit in February 2007.

New Zealand Economy Grows 0.3% in Q4
Published: 3/22/2012 10:54:32 AM By: TradingEconomics.com, Statistics New Zealand
The New Zealand economy grew by 0.3 percent in the December 2011 quarter, Statistics New Zealand said on March 22nd. This latest result follows economic growth of 0.7 percent in the September 2011 quarter.

New Zealand Leaves Rate Unchanged
Published: 3/8/2012 12:26:44 PM By: TradingEconomics.com, RBNZ
The Reserve Bank left on March 8th, the Official Cash Rate (OCR) unchanged at 2.5 percent.

New Zealand Reports Trade Deficit in January
Published: 2/29/2012 1:16:56 PM By: TradingEconomics.com, Statistics New Zealand
In January 2012, the value of exported goods rose $430 million (13 percent), to $3.7 billion. Imported goods rose $637 million (19 percent), to $3.9 billion.

New Zealand Reports Trade Surplus in December
Published: 2/2/2012 2:29:02 PM By: TradingEconomics.com, Statistics New Zealand
In December 2011, New Zealand reported a trade surplus equivalent to $338 million (7.8 percent of exports). This compares with an average deficit of 5.2 percent of exports over the previous five December months.

New Zealand Inflation Down to 1.8% in Q4
Published: 1/19/2012 7:18:29 PM By: TradingEconomics.com, Statistics New Zealand
In the year to the December 2011 quarter the CPI rose 1.8 percent. This compares with a 4.6 percent rise for the year to the September 2011 quarter. Unlike the previous four quarters, the latest annual increase does not include most of the effects of the GST increase that occurred in October 2010.

New Zealand Exports Rises in November
Published: 1/9/2012 6:00:30 PM By: TradingEconomics.com, Statistics New Zealand
In the November 2011 month compared with the November 2010 month, the value of exported goods increased $251 million (6.8 percent) to $3.9 billion. The trend for export values remains at record-high levels.

New Zealand GDP Up 0.8% in Q3
Published: 12/22/2011 1:05:40 PM By: TradingEconomics.com, Statistics New Zealand
New Zealand Gross domestic product was up 0.8 percent in the September 2011 quarter, following a 0.1 percent increase in the June 2011 quarter. The increase in the latest quarter is the fourth consecutive quarter of growth following a decline of 0.1 percent in the September 2010 quarter.

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