The unemployment rate has risen to a near nine-year high of 5.3%, according to new figures released by Stats NZ today.
It was another nudge up from the previous figure of 5.2% in the June 2025 quarter and 5.1% in the March 2025 quarter.
"The unemployment rate has been over 5% for the last four quarters. The last time that the unemployment rate was 5.3% was in the December 2016 quarter", said Stats NZ labour market spokesperson Jason Attewell.
There were 160,000 unemployed people in the September 2025 quarter. In the June 2025 quarter, there were 158,000.
The increase was in line with what economists had expected, with the vast majority tipping the rate to land at 5.3%.
The underutilisation rate, which measures untapped capacity in the labour market and includes those unemployed or underemployed, was 12.9%, up from 12.8% in the June 2025 quarter. This is the highest rate since late 2020.
The level of unemployment of young people between 15 and 24 years was 15.2%, with the total not in education or training rising to 13.8%.
The regions with the highest unemployment were Northland, Auckland and Waikato with rates of more than 6%, with all South Island regions below 5%.
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