NZ employment confidence rises in fourth quarter, wary on wages

NZ employment confidence rises in fourth quarter, wary on wages
By Suze Metherell Jan. 20 (BusinessDesk) – New Zealand confidence rose in the final quarter of 2013 to its second highest reading in the last two years, but optimism about wage growth slumped to its lowest in 18 months. The Westpac McDermott Milller Employment Confidence Index rose to 103.4 in the fourth quarter from 102.8 from the prior quarter, in the scale where 100 separates optimists from pessimists. While the latest index remains at the second highest level in the past two years, the reading remains subdued with on-going concern around...