New Zealand skyline

New Zealand Unemployment

New Zealand Unemployment

Unemployment in New Zealand

The unemployment rate averaged 4.7% in the decade to 2022 in New Zealand. The unemployment rate in 2022 was 3.3%. For more unemployment information, visit our dedicated page.

New Zealand Unemployment Chart

Note: This chart displays Unemployment Rate for New Zealand from 2014 to 2023.
Source: Statistics New Zealand.

New Zealand Unemployment Data

2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Unemployment (% of active population, aop) 4.3 4.1 4.6 3.8 3.3

Unemployment rate ticks up in Q4

The seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate rose to 4.0% in Q4 from 3.9% in Q3. Meanwhile, the underutilization rate—which includes both unemployment and underemployment—increased to 10.7% in Q4 from 10.4% in Q3. Though the labor market softened in Q4, it remained fairly tight by historical standards: The unemployment rate averaged 4.7% in the decade to 2022. A further slight loosening of the labor market is expected in 2024 on the back of the lagged effects of previous interest rate hikes.

Consensus Forecasts and Projections for the next ten years

How should you choose a forecaster if some are too optimistic while others are too pessimistic? FocusEconomics collects New Zealand unemployment projections for the next ten years from a panel of 11 analysts at the leading national, regional and global forecast institutions. These projections are then validated by our in-house team of economists and data analysts and averaged to provide one Consensus Forecast you can rely on for each indicator. By averaging all forecasts, upside and downside forecasting errors tend to cancel each other out, leading to the most reliable unemployment forecast available for New Zealand unemployment.

Download one of our sample reports to visualize what a Consensus Forecast is and see our New Zealand unemployment projections.

Want to get access to the full dataset of New Zealand unemployment forecasts? Send an email to info@focus-economics.com.

Latest Global Unemployment News

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Interested in economic reports, analysis and data? FocusEconomics provides data, forecasts and analysis for hundreds of countries and commodities. Request your free sample report now.

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