NZ labour costs rise 0.4 percent in 1Q, filled jobs rise, pointing to employment growth

NZ labour costs rise 0.4 percent  in 1Q, filled jobs rise, pointing to employment growth
May 7 (BusinessDesk) – New Zealand labour costs rose in the first quarter and filled jobs increased, suggesting the household labour force survey on Thursday will show a return to employment growth. Private sector ordinary time wages rose 0.4 percent in the first three months of the year from the fourth quarter of 2012, and gained 1.8 percent from the first quarter last year, according to Statistics New Zealand. Economists are looking for some improvement in the labour market after a weak fourth quarter when the participation rate fell to th...