# New Zealand's unemployment rate rises to 5.7%

> Stats NZ says the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.7% in the September 2026 quarter, up from 5.6% in June. Salary and wage rates rose 2.1% in the year.

- Canonical URL: https://forextradingcommunity.com/news/new-zealand-unemployment-rate-5-7-percent-september-quarter-2026/
- Type: Data
- Published: 2026-11-06
- Updated: 2026-11-06
- Publisher: Forex Trading Community (https://forextradingcommunity.com), FTC Editorial Team
- Currencies: NZD

New Zealand's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.7% in the September 2026 quarter, compared with 5.6% in the June 2026 quarter, Stats NZ reported on 4 November 2026. The underutilisation rate was unchanged at 13.8% ([Stats NZ, Labour market statistics: September 2026 quarter](https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/labour-market-statistics-september-2026-quarter/)).

## Key figures, September 2026 quarter (seasonally adjusted)

- **Unemployment rate**: 5.7%, from 5.6%
- **Underutilisation rate**: 13.8%, unchanged
- **Employment rate**: 66.4%, from 66.7%
- **Unemployed people**: 174,000, from 171,000

## Wages, year to September 2026

- **All salary and wage rates (including overtime)**: +2.1%
- **Average weekly earnings for full-time equivalent employees**: $1,743, from $1,688
- **Average ordinary time hourly earnings**: $44.86, from $43.60

By sex, the unemployment rate for men was unchanged at 5.6%, while for women it rose to 5.7% from 5.5%. Not seasonally adjusted, 21.5% of the 169,100 people unemployed in the quarter had been out of work for more than a year.

## Why it matters for NZD

Wages and jobs feed into the Reserve Bank of New Zealand's view of inflation, which ran at 3.7% in the year to September ([September quarter CPI](/news/new-zealand-inflation-3-7-percent-september-quarter-2026/)). The next labour market release, for the December 2026 quarter, is due on 3 February 2027. Live prices: [NZD/USD](/markets/nzd-usd/), and for the basics, [how to trade NZD/USD](/news/how-to-trade-nzd-usd/).

## Sources

- [Stats NZ: Labour market statistics: September 2026 quarter, 4 November 2026](https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/labour-market-statistics-september-2026-quarter/)

## Common questions

### What is New Zealand's unemployment rate?

5.7% in the September 2026 quarter, seasonally adjusted, up from 5.6% in the June quarter, according to Stats NZ.

### How fast are New Zealand wages rising?

All salary and wage rates, including overtime, rose 2.1% in the year to September 2026.

### When is the next New Zealand labour market release?

The December 2026 quarter figures are due on 3 February 2027, according to Stats NZ.

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