Monthly labour market fact sheet
The monthly labour market fact sheet summarises high-frequency and timely data and surveys with a focus around the impact of COVID-19 on the labour market. It is designed to supplement the quarterly labour market snapshot.
On this page
About the report
The fact sheet presents key statistics on:
- Filled jobs
- Benefit recipients
- Jobseeker Benefit recipients
- Wage subsidy
- Online job advertising
The overview of the most recent month is below with the PDFs for all months at the bottom of the page.
The next publication is on 21 October 2022.
Monthly labour market fact sheet - August 2022 [PDF 445KB]
Overview — September 2022
Headline quarterly statistics
Data up to June 2022 quarter
| Measures | Jun-21 | Sep-21 | Dec-21 | Mar-21 | Jun-22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | 2,775,000 | 2,823,000 | 2,821,000 | 2,820,000 | 2,820,000 |
| -Paid Employee or Employer | 2,395,500 | 2,433,700 | 2,455,700 | 2,444,600 | 2,449,100 |
| -Self-employed | 342,300 | 351,500 | 353,000 | 355,600 | 340,300 |
| Employment Rate | 67.8% | 68.8% | 68.8% | 68.6% | 68.5% |
| Participation Rate | 70.5% | 71.2% | 71.0% | 70.9% | 70.8% |
| Underutilisation | 312,000 | 277,000 | 276,000 | 280,000 | 276,000 |
| -Unemployment | 114,000 | 97,000 | 93,000 | 94,000 | 96,000 |
| -Underemployment | 108,000 | 97,000 | 101,000 | 94,000 | 94,000 |
| -Potential Labour Force | 90,000 | 83,000 | 82,000 | 91,000 | 86,000 |
| Underutilisation Rate | 10.5% | 9.2% | 9.2% | 9.3% | 9.2% |
| Unemployment Rate | 3.9% | 3.3% | 3.2% | 3.2% | 3.3% |
| Not in the Labour Force | 1,207,000 | 1,182,000 | 1,188,000 | 1,196,000 | 1,200,000 |
| Youth Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET) | 79,000 | 78,000 | 70,000 | 74,000 | 78,000 |
| NEET Rate | 12.2% | 12.2% | 10.9% | 11.6% | 12.1% |
| Average Weekly Hours Paid (per FTE) | 39.04 | 38.86 | 38.98 | 38.78 | 38.75 |
Source: All measures are from the Household Labour Force Survey except for average hours worked, which is from the Quarterly Employment Survey. Labour Market Statistics, Stats NZ (Data to June 2022 quarter, next release on 2 November 2022). All the data except Paid Employee or Employer and Self-employed are seasonally adjusted.
The recent story
The New Zealand labour market remains tight with elevated demand for labour. The unemployment rate was near a record low at 3.3% in the June quarter 2022. Business confidence is starting to improve and we’re seeing a gradual increase in people arriving in New Zealand. This may positively affect business plans for expansion and further strengthen hiring intentions. After a period of slower growth in online job advertisements since March 2022, online advertising grew by 28% over the year to August 2022. While online job advertisements grew for all industries, the highest growth was in Hospitality. Part of this increase, however, reflects churn in the labour market.
Over the year to July 2022, the number of filled jobs increased by 2% (52,252 more jobs) with the highest increases in Electricity, gas, water & waste services, Professional, scientific & technical services and Construction. However, the number of filled jobs decreased for Agriculture, forestry & fishing, Accommodation & food services, Arts & recreation services, Education & training and Information media and telecommunications. Filled jobs in these industries may likely pick up again with more people arriving in New Zealand and recent increases in online job advertisements. Growth in the number of filled jobs remains highest for youth (aged 15-19 years) over the year at 16.7% (19,532 more jobs).
The number of people on the Jobseeker Support-Work Ready benefit is gradually declining after peaking during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. As of 2 September 2022, 99,813 people, out of the 345,156 people on all main benefits, were on the Jobseeker Support-Work Ready benefit. These numbers are below those recorded in 2020 and 2021. The Regional Skills Leadership Groups report that different employment groups in their regions are engaging with people on benefits to discuss training opportunities and to connect young people with potential employers. There are also reports of collaboration with educational institutes to upskill people in areas of skill shortages.