New Zealand: Employment
* indicates monthly or quarterly data series
The most recent value is 2.9 million employed people as of Q2 2026, an increase compared to the previous value of 2.89 million employed people. Historically, the average for New Zealand from Q4 1985 to Q2 2026 is 2.1 million employed people. The minimum of 1.5 million employed people was recorded in Q3 1991, while the maximum of 2.93 million employed people was reached in Q4 2023.
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* indicates monthly or quarterly data series
- Measure: million employed people
- Definition: The number of people, in millions, engaged in the economy as paid employees or as self-employed.
- Source: OECD
| Recent values | New Zealand: Employment, million people |
|---|---|
| 2026 Q2 | 2.9 |
| 2026 Q1 | 2.89 |
| 2025 Q4 | 2.9 |
| 2025 Q3 | 2.86 |
| 2025 Q2 | 2.86 |
| 2025 Q1 | 2.88 |
| 2024 Q4 | 2.9 |
| 2024 Q3 | 2.88 |
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| Related indicators | Latest | Reference | Measure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labor force | 3.08 | 2025 | million people |
| Unemployment rate | 5.08 | 2025 | percent |
| Female unemployment | 5.28 | 2025 | percent |
| Male unemployment | 4.89 | 2025 | percent |
| Youth unemployment | 14.35 | 2025 | percent |
| Labor force participation | 70.35 | 2025 | percent |
| Labor force: percent female | 47.57 | 2025 | percent |
| Female labor force participation | 66.08 | 2025 | percent |
| Male labor force participation | 74.74 | 2025 | percent |
| Hours worked | 1,751.23 | 2023 | hours |
| Self-employment | 18.41 | 2025 | percent |
| Employment | 2.90 | Q2/2026 | million employed people |
| Unemployment rate | 5.60 | 6/2026 | percent |
| Labor cost | 155.18 | Q1/2026 | index points |