WELLINGTON, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand's unemployment rate rose to 5.4 percent in the December 2025 quarter, the highest since the September 2015 quarter when it was 5.7 percent, Stats NZ reported Wednesday.
The unemployment rate of 5.4 percent was up from 5.3 percent in the previous quarter, said the statistics department.
The number of unemployed people rose by 5,000 to 165,000 over the quarter, while both employment and participation in the labor market increased, Stats NZ said.
The labor force participation rate rose to 70.5 percent, with 19,000 more people active in the job market over the quarter, it said.
"We saw higher levels of engagement in the labor market as both employment and unemployment increased," said Stats NZ macroeconomic spokesperson Jason Attewell.
About 20,000 more women joined the labor force, with 16,000 gaining employment compared with the previous quarter, statistics showed.
Female employment rose particularly in managerial and professional roles, while clerical and administrative positions declined, Stats NZ said.
Overall, the employment rate stood at 66.7 percent, the underutilization rate at 13 percent, annual wage inflation at 2 percent, and average hourly earnings at 43.99 New Zealand dollars (26.59 U.S. dollars) in the December 2025 quarter, it said. ■