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Employment and skills
The effective use of knowledge, skills and capital in business is a major driver of innovation and growth. This increases wages, lifts business competitiveness and profitability, and leads to better social and economic outcomes. The interaction of skilled people and innovative businesses provides the greatest scope for economic growth between now and 2025.
The Employment Action Plan presents the Government’s vision for the labour market to support people into work and lift economic outcomes for New Zealand.
The Employment Strategy presents the Government’s vision for the labour market to improve employment outcomes for all New Zealanders.
On 20 December 2023, the Fair Pay Agreements legislation was repealed.
A high-performing health and safety regulatory system contributes to our goal of healthy, safe and fulfilling work for all New Zealand workers, and to grow New Zealand for all.
From time to time, we review employment and accident compensation legislation. Our current and past reviews are listed on this page.
- Employment Relations Act 2000 amendments
- Holidays Act reform
- Increasing the minimum sick leave entitlement
- Workplace relations in the screen industry
- Forced Labour Protocol
- Extending paid parental leave
- Equal Pay Amendment Act
- Law change for Easter Sunday shop trading
- Employment Standards Legislation Act
- Proposed Accident Compensation Appeal Tribunal
- Accident compensation dispute resolution review
- Reviewing regulated ACC payments for treatment
- Employment Relations Amendment Act
- Minimum wage reviews
- Sex work in New Zealand
- Changes to the process for setting pay for Members of Parliament
- Security officers – additional employment protections
- Matariki
- Updating Accident Compensation Review Costs Regulations
- Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Day
- Changes to ACC’s Accredited Employers Programme
- Review framework for list of occupational diseases
- Contractor work in Aotearoa New Zealand
- Support workers – request for additional employment protections
- Changes to ACC regulations for Chinese medicine, paramedics and audiometrists
- Accident Compensation (Interest on Instalments) Amendment Act
- Setting the average ACC levy rates for 2025/26, 2026/27, and 2027/28
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) provides advice on relevant international labour issues and assesses the impact of international developments on New Zealand's labour interests.
This section provides labour market analysis and forecasting, data on jobs and skills, and reports on Māori and Pacific Peoples labour market participation and other research.
The future of work is being shaped by 4 broad global megatrends: technology change, demographic change, globalisation and climate change. These global trends create both risks and opportunities for New Zealand.
The NZ Industrial Relations Foundation (Inc) (the Foundation) is an educational trust set up to promote, through education, better industrial relations in New Zealand.
The all-of-government plan of action against forced labour, people trafficking and slavery sets out a high-level framework for the actions that agencies will take over the next five years to 2025, to combat these practices.
In 2019, Regional Skills Leadership Groups (RSLG) were established to support the development of workforce plans for regions. These Regional Workforce Plans (RWPs) were to be informed by regional economic development priorities to ensure businesses attract people with the right skills to the right place.
Read a summary of the New Zealand Income Insurance scheme.