NZ jobless rate unexpectedly rises to 6.8 percent in 2Q as jobs growth stalls; kiwi tumbles

By Paul McBeth
Aug. 9 (BusinessDesk) - New Zealand's unemployment rate expectedly rose in the second quarter as the pool of jobs shrank for the time since December 2010. The kiwi dollar dropped almost half a US cent on speculation a weak labour market gives the central bank more room to cut interest rates.
The unemployment rate increased 0.1 percentage points to 6.8 percent, the highest since June 2010, according to Statistics New Zealand's household labour force survey. Economists surveyed by Reuters were expecting the headline rate to come...
Subscribe to BusinessDesk
Stay informed on business, government and financial developments across New Zealand.
- Deeply researched, twice-edited and fact-checked news
- Annual subscribers also receive a complimentary subscription to The Wall Street Journal
- Personalised email news alerts, plus gift up to 5 stories a month to non-subscribers
You can cancel anytime with two clicks, an email or a phone call.
Find out more.
We are serious about journalism.
Already a Subscriber ? Sign in here.
{{ registerForm.errors.get('form') }}
We had trouble validating your card. It's possible your card provider is preventing us from charging the card. Please contact your card provider or customer support.
{{ cardForm.errors.get('card') }}
{{ registerForm.errors.get('plan') }}
{{ __(plans[index].name) | capitalize }}
{{ plans[index].attributes.old_price | currency }}
{{ plans[index].price | currency }}
All subscriptions auto renew but are easy to cancel.
Tax: {{ taxAmount(selectedPlan) | currency }}
Total Price Including Tax: {{ priceWithTax(selectedPlan) | currency }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerSeat ? '/ '+ spark.seatName : '' }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerTeam ? '/ '+ __('teams.team') : '' }} / {{ __(selectedPlan.interval) | capitalize }}
Total Price Including Tax: {{ priceWithTax(selectedPlan) | currency }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerSeat ? '/ '+ spark.seatName : '' }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerTeam ? '/ '+ __('teams.team') : '' }} / {{ __(selectedPlan.interval) | capitalize }}
{{ registerForm.errors.get('email') }}
Not convinced yet?
Subscribe to our free 7am Headlines newsletter.
A quick summary of everything BusinessDesk has published in the previous 24 hours. No BusinessDesk
subscription needed.