WELLINGTON, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand has recorded its lowest gender pay gap in nearly three decades, with the gap narrowing to 5.2 percent in the June 2025 quarter.
The 5.2-percent gap was down from 8.2 percent a year earlier, the statistics department Stats NZ reported Wednesday.
This marked the smallest difference in New Zealand's median hourly earnings between men and women since data collection began in 1998 and represented the first statistically significant annual decline since 2017, said Stats NZ labor market spokesperson Abby Johnston.
"Increases in women's median hourly earnings were seen across age groups, ethnicity, and occupation," Johnston said, signaling advancing pay equity in the workforce.
The reduction largely reflected larger median hourly wage increases for women, up 5.2 percent to 33.76 NZ dollars (19.7 U.S. dollars) in the June 2025 quarter, compared to a 1.9 percent, statistically insignificant rise for men, whose median hourly earnings stood at 35.62 NZ dollars (20.78 U.S. dollars) in the same period, Stats NZ said.
New Zealand's overall median hourly wage increased 1.44 NZ dollars (0.84 U.S. dollars) to 35 NZ dollars (20.42 U.S. dollars) in the year ending in June 2025, it said. ■
