Economy
Source: OECD (terms permit extract/distribute, incl. commercial, with citation). · updated 2026-03-31
New Zealand's unemployment rate stands at 5.3% as of 2026-03-31, up from 5.28% in 2025-12-31. Historical data runs from 1990 to 2026 (145 observations).
In 2026-03-31, New Zealand's unemployment rate was 5.3%, up from 5.28% in 2025-12-31.
In 2025-12-31, New Zealand's unemployment rate was 5.28%, down from 5.3% in 2025-09-30.
In 2025-09-30, New Zealand's unemployment rate was 5.3%, up from 5.2% in 2025-06-30.
In 2025-06-30, New Zealand's unemployment rate was 5.2%, up from 5.1% in 2025-03-31.
In 2025-03-31, New Zealand's unemployment rate was 5.1%, up from 4.75% in 2024-12-31.
| Date | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-31 | 5.3% | +0.025% |
| 2025-12-31 | 5.28% | -0.025% |
| 2025-09-30 | 5.3% | +0.1% |
| 2025-06-30 | 5.2% | +0.1% |
| 2025-03-31 | 5.1% | +0.35% |
| 2024-12-31 | 4.75% | -0.15% |
| 2024-09-30 | 4.9% | +0.2% |
| 2024-06-30 | 4.7% | +0.3% |
| 2024-03-31 | 4.4% | +0.625% |
| 2023-12-31 | 3.78% | -0.125% |
| 2023-09-30 | 3.9% | +0.2% |
| 2023-06-30 | 3.7% | +0.2% |
| 2023-03-31 | 3.5% | +0.175% |
| 2022-12-31 | 3.33% | +0.025% |
| 2022-09-30 | 3.3% | +0% |
| 2022-06-30 | 3.3% | +0% |
| 2022-03-31 | 3.3% | -0.5% |
| 2021-12-31 | 3.8% | +0.5% |
| 2021-09-30 | 3.3% | -0.7% |
| 2021-06-30 | 4% | -0.6% |
| 2021-03-31 | 4.6% | +0% |
| 2020-12-31 | 4.6% | -0.6% |
| 2020-09-30 | 5.2% | +1.1% |
| 2020-06-30 | 4.1% | -0.1% |
| 2020-03-31 | 4.2% | +0.1% |
| 2019-12-31 | 4.1% | +0% |
| 2019-09-30 | 4.1% | +0% |
| 2019-06-30 | 4.1% | -0.1% |
| 2019-03-31 | 4.2% | -0.125% |
| 2018-12-31 | 4.33% | +0.325% |
| 2018-09-30 | 4% | -0.6% |
| 2018-06-30 | 4.6% | +0.2% |
| 2018-03-31 | 4.4% | -0.325% |
| 2017-12-31 | 4.73% | +0.025% |
| 2017-09-30 | 4.7% | -0.2% |
| 2017-06-30 | 4.9% | +0% |
| 2017-03-31 | 4.9% | -0.225% |
| 2016-12-31 | 5.13% | +0.125% |
| 2016-09-30 | 5% | -0.1% |
| 2016-06-30 | 5.1% | -0.2% |
| 2016-03-31 | 5.3% | -0.1% |
| 2015-12-31 | 5.4% | -0.3% |
| 2015-09-30 | 5.7% | +0.2% |
| 2015-06-30 | 5.5% | +0% |
| 2015-03-31 | 5.5% | +0.075% |
| 2014-12-31 | 5.43% | +0.125% |
| 2014-09-30 | 5.3% | +0% |
| 2014-06-30 | 5.3% | -0.3% |
| 2014-03-31 | 5.6% | -0.25% |
| 2013-12-31 | 5.85% | +0.05% |
| 2013-09-30 | 5.8% | -0.2% |
| 2013-06-30 | 6% | +0.2% |
| 2013-03-31 | 5.8% | -0.675% |
| 2012-12-31 | 6.48% | -0.225% |
| 2012-09-30 | 6.7% | +0.3% |
| 2012-06-30 | 6.4% | +0% |
| 2012-03-31 | 6.4% | +0.375% |
| 2011-12-31 | 6.03% | +0.025% |
| 2011-09-30 | 6% | -0.1% |
| 2011-06-30 | 6.1% | +0.1% |
| 2011-03-31 | 6% | -0.225% |
| 2010-12-31 | 6.23% | +0.125% |
| 2010-09-30 | 6.1% | -0.5% |
| 2010-06-30 | 6.6% | +0.7% |
| 2010-03-31 | 5.9% | +0.025% |
| 2009-12-31 | 5.88% | -0.325% |
| 2009-09-30 | 6.2% | +0.4% |
| 2009-06-30 | 5.8% | +0.8% |
| 2009-03-31 | 5% | +0.975% |
| 2008-12-31 | 4.03% | -0.075% |
| 2008-09-30 | 4.1% | +0.3% |
| 2008-06-30 | 3.8% | +0% |
| 2008-03-31 | 3.8% | +0.225% |
| 2007-12-31 | 3.58% | -0.025% |
| 2007-09-30 | 3.6% | +0% |
| 2007-06-30 | 3.6% | -0.3% |
| 2007-03-31 | 3.9% | +0.05% |
| 2006-12-31 | 3.85% | -0.05% |
| 2006-09-30 | 3.9% | +0.2% |
| 2006-06-30 | 3.7% | — |
Source: OECD (terms permit extract/distribute, incl. commercial, with citation). · Download this series as CSV — free, attribution required (CC BY 4.0).
New Zealand's unemployment rate is 5.3% as of 2026-03-31, compared with 5.28% in 2025-12-31. Source: OECD (terms permit extract/distribute, incl. commercial, with citation).
The highest recorded value is 11.2% (1991-09-30); the lowest is 3.3% (2021-09-30), across data from 1990 to 2026.
Source: OECD (terms permit extract/distribute, incl. commercial, with citation). Figures are republished with attribution and updated as the source releases new observations.