The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 4.3 percent in the December 2018 quarter, up from 4.0 percent (revised) last quarter, Stats NZ said today. The rise in the unemployment rate reflected higher growth in unemployment (up 10,000), as a share of the overall growth in the labour force (up 12,000). Unemployment was largely influenced by more unemployed men (up 8,000). For women, unemployment rose 2,000. For men and women combined, there were 12,000 more unemployed youth (15–24-year-olds). “The unemployment rate for men rose to 4.4 percent in the December quarter, while it was 4.2 percent for women. This was ... (full story)

Unemployment in New Zealand rose sharply in the December quarter, reversing most of the surprisingly large drop in the previous quarter. The unemployment rate rose to 4.3%, from 4.0% (revised up from 3.9%) in the September quarter. The number of people employed rose by just 0.1%, and the labour force participation rate fell slightly to 70.9%. We’ve noted for some time that there was a high chance that at least some of the September quarter result would be reversed. Consequently, today’s result was only slightly weaker than what we anticipated. However, soft jobs growth and hours worked in these surveys increase the ... (full story)