New Zealand jobless rate climbs to 6.8 per cent

Feb 2, 2011, 23:08 GMT

Wellington - New Zealand's unemployment rate rose to 6.8 per cent in the December quarter, up from 6.4 per cent in the previous three months, according to official figures released Thursday.

The number of jobless was up by 8,000 to 158,000 during the quarter, marked by a 10,000 increase in males out of work, Statistics New Zealand reported in its Household Labour Force Survey.

The unemployment rate is still below the 7 per cent recorded a year ago, but labour market statistics manager Peter Gardiner said, 'Results over the past 12 months indicate that the labour market has struggled to gain momentum following the recent economic downturn.'

The figures showed the youth rate of unemployment for those aged 15-19 years-old was over 25 per cent.

Unemployment among the indigenous Maori population is at 15.5 per cent and Pacific island people at 13.5 per cent.

Jobless numbers in some regions are well over the national average, with the Northland province recording 8.9 per cent; the largest city, Auckland, 7.8 per cent and the Bay of Plenty at 7.3 per cent.

Gardiner said, however, that key indicators were showing an improvement since this time last year, with full-time employment increasing, while the number working part-time fell in the last quarter.

Statistics New Zealand's Household Labour Force Survey is regarded as the official measure of unemployment. It is based on a representative sample of 15,000 households throughout the country.