Employment prospects high in New Zealand

Immigration levels in New Zealand may have been increasing at record levels for the past 18 months, but this influx does not seem to be harming the employment prospects of NZ nationals.

The latest Household Labour Force Survey (HLFS) shows the economy is continuing to grow, and New Zealanders are continuing to find work.

“The unemployment rate is again at 4.9 per cent in the March 2017 quarter,” announced Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Paul Goldsmith. “We have 29,000 more Kiwis employed in the past three months as job growth continues to be faster than population growth.”

Record labour force participation continues with the rate increasing to 70.6 per cent.

Job growth continues to be strong with 137,000 new jobs created in the past 12 months. Wages also grew by 2.1 per cent over the year, taking the average annual wage to NZ$58,935.

“We are also seeing continued growth in the construction sector with 16,100 more jobs compared to this time last year,” Goldsmith said. “Waikato had a significant increase with 3,600 additional construction jobs.”

Other highlights this quarter include:

– New Zealand ranked second in the OECD for employment rate;

– The employment rate for Māori increased by 1.7 per cent; and

– The rate of young people not in employment, education or training (NEETs) fell to 12.8 per cent, down from 13.5 per cent in the previous quarter.

“Today’s release shows the Government’s comprehensive economic plan is working for families, with lower unemployment, strong job creation and higher wages to help people get ahead,” concluded Mr Goldsmith.

Article published 3rd May 2017