Unemployment rate hits 5.1%

Unemployment rate hits 5.1%
More people are lining up at the job office. (Image: Getty)
Staff reporters
Unemployment rose in the last quarter of 2024 to 5.1%, up from 4.8% in the September quarter.Annually, unemployment rose by 33,000 to 156,000, as measured by the Household Labour Force Survey.Stats New Zealand released new data on Wednesday about jobs and the pace of wage growth.Stats NZ said the seasonally adjusted employment rate was 67.4% in the December 2024 quarter, down from 69% a year earlier. The seasonally adjusted employment rate was 67.4% in the December 2024 quarter, down from 69% a year earlier, Stats NZ said. That was th...