NZ jobless rate falls to five-year low as Canterbury fuels employment growth
By Paul McBeth
Aug. 6 (BusinessDesk) - New Zealand's unemployment rate fell to a five-year low in the June quarter as employment growth
in Canterbury fuelled the labour market. The kiwi dollar fell after the figures were released.
The unemployment rate fell to 5.6 percent in the three months ended June 30, from a revised 5.9 percent in the March
quarter, according to Statistics New Zealand's household labour force survey. That's the lowest rate since March 2009,
and below the 5.8 percent forecast in a Reuters survey of economists. The participation rate fell 0.3 of a percentage
point to 68.9 percent, below expectations, as the workforce remained static and the population grew.
Employment grew 0.4 percent in the quarter, below the 0.7 percent pace predicted by economists and was up 3.7 percent on
an annual basis. A busy construction sector continued to drive jobs growth, particularly in Canterbury where the
country's second-biggest city, Christchurch, is being rebuilt. Canterbury's unemployment rate of 2.8 percent was the
lowest across all regions, and employment growth was largely in construction and retail and accommodation service.
"Over the year, Canterbury contributed the most to national employment growth, accounting for almost half," Statistics
NZ said in its report.
New Zealand employment confidence is at its highest since before the 2008 global financial crisis as the nation's
economic growth spurs firms to take on more staff after a period of relatively high unemployment.
Construction jobs rose to 205,700 in the June quarter from 196,100 in March, public administration and safety positions
rose to 132,700 from 119,300, and education and training employment rose to 201,100 from 190,400. That offset a drop in
agriculture, forestry and fishing jobs to 138,600 from 156,800, and a decline in retail trade and accommodation services
dropped to 349,100 from 364,700.
The seasonally adjusted number of hours worked rose 0.3 percent to 78.5 million in the quarter for a 4.8 percent annual
gain.
The kiwi fell as low as 84.27 US cents after the release from 84.53 cents immediately before.
The labour cost index, which measures wage inflation, rose at a quarterly pace of 0.5 percent across all sectors
including overtime, and at an annual pace of 1.7 percent. Private sector ordinary time wages rose 0.6 percent in the
quarter and 1.8 percent in the year. That was bolstered by the 50 cent increase in the minimum wage to $14.25 an hour
from April 1, which Statistics NZ said resulted in a 17 percent rise in all private sector ordinary time wage compared
to what would have been a 15 percent gain if the increase hadn't taken effect.
Unemployment in the Auckland region fell to 6.2 percent in the quarter from 7.3 percent in March, while Wellington's
rate was down to 5.4 percent from 5.5 percent. Northland had the highest jobless rate at 8.3 percent.
The underemployment rate edged up to 4.2 percent of part-time workers willing and able to take on more hours from 4.1
percent in March.
The quarterly employment survey, also released today, showed ordinary time private sector wages rose 0.5 percent in the
quarter to $26.29 per hour, for a 3.1 percent annual gain. Public sector ordinary time fell 1.6 percent to $35.28, for a
1.3 percent annual increase.
(BusinessDesk)