Hon Carmel Sepuloni
The Government’s efforts to secure the recovery has seen more Kiwis in jobs and higher wages, with unemployment falling to pre-COVID levels and more people in work.
Stats NZ figures show unemployment rate fell to 4 percent in the June quarter from 4.6 percent in the March quarter, the lowest rate since December 2019. This compares with The Treasury’s Half year Economic and Fiscal Update forecast unemployment rate of 5.2 percent.
Employment rose by 28,000 in the quarter, and the total number of people in work is now 63,000 above where it was in the December 2019 quarter before COVID.
The average hourly wage rose 4 percent to $34.76 an hour, compared with a 3.3 percent rise in inflation, meaning more money in New Zealander’s back pockets.