Labor force, total in New Zealand was reported at 3078764 in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. New Zealand - Labor force, total - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

New Zealand NZ: Labour Force data was reported at 2,694.550 Person th in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 2,598.175 Person th for 2016. New Zealand NZ: Labour Force data is updated yearly, averaging 1,984.662 Person th from Dec 1986 (Median) to 2017, with 32 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2,694.550 Person th in 2017 and a record low of 1,573.075 Person th in 1989. New Zealand NZ: Labour Force data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by International Monetary Fund. The data is categorized under Global Database’s New Zealand – Table NZ.IMF.IFS: Labour Force, Employment and Unemployment: Annual.

The statistic shows the distribution of employment in New Zealand by economic sector from 2013 to 2023. In 2023, 5.62 percent of the employees in New Zealand were active in the agricultural sector, 20.52 percent in industry and 73.86 percent in the service sector.

Key information about New Zealand Labour Force Participation Rate

• New Zealand Labour Force Participation Rate increased to 71.3 % in Dec 2024, compared with 70.9 % in the previous quarter.
• New Zealand Labour Force Participation Rate is updated quarterly, available from Mar 1986 to Dec 2024, with an average rate of 67.3 % .
• The data reached the an all-time high of 72.3 % in Mar 2023 and a record low of 62.6 % in Sep 1992.
• New Zealand Labour Force Participation Rate is reported by reported by Stats NZ.
• In the latest reports, New Zealand Population reached 5.4 million people in Dec 2024.
• Unemployment Rate of New Zealand increased to 5.1 % in Dec 2024.
• The country's Monthly Earnings stood at 3,902.1 USD in Dec 2024.

Labor Force Participation Rate in New Zealand decreased to 70.80 percent in the first quarter of 2025 from 70.90 percent in the fourth quarter of 2024. This dataset provides - New Zealand Labor Force Participation Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

The number of employed people in New Zealand was approximately 2.92 million people in 2024. Between 1980 and 2024, the number rose by around 1.40 million people, though the increase followed an uneven trajectory rather than a consistent upward trend. From 2024 to 2026, the number will increase by about 80 thousand people.The indicator describes the number of employed people. This refers to persons who during a pre-defined period, either: a) performed wage or salary work, b) held a formal attachment to their job (even if not currently working), (c) performed for-profit work for personal or family gain , (d) were with an enterprise although temporarily not at work for any specific reason.

New Zealand NZ: Labour Force: % Change data was reported at 3.709 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 4.320 % for 2016. New Zealand NZ: Labour Force: % Change data is updated yearly, averaging 1.706 % from Dec 1987 (Median) to 2017, with 31 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 6.850 % in 1994 and a record low of -6.241 % in 1988. New Zealand NZ: Labour Force: % Change data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by International Monetary Fund. The data is categorized under Global Database’s New Zealand – Table NZ.IMF.IFS: Labour Force, Employment and Unemployment: Annual.

The number of employed persons in New Zealand increased to 2913 Thousand in the first quarter of 2025 from 2912 Thousand in the fourth quarter of 2024. This dataset provides - New Zealand Employed Persons - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in New Zealand was reported at 5.6206 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. New Zealand - Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

In 2018, the average ten-year retention rate of healthcare and social assistance workers in New Zealand was 73.2 percent, the highest across all industries in the country. In contrast, the administrative and support industry had the lowest ten-year retention rate of 24.6 percent.

In 2018, the average age of bus service workers in New Zealand was 54 years, eight years older than the next highest average aged industry. In contrast, the hospitality industry seemingly employed more millennials, with an average age of 30 years.

The Temporary Staff Services industry is navigating fluctuating demand across key downstream markets and evolving workforce dynamics. Over the past five years, the industry’s performance has been closely tied to sector-specific trends, with healthcare emerging as a critical growth driver because of persistent staff shortages and an ageing population. Expanded demand from healthcare has partly offset declines from hospitality and tourism markets, where cost-cutting and a focus on permanent hires have dampened temporary staffing demand. Construction has shown regional pockets of recovery. However, this has been counterbalanced by sharp downturns in manufacturing, transport and logistics, where high operational costs and supply chain disruptions have reduced agency reliance. The labour market has become more challenging in recent years, with the unemployment rate rising to 5.1%, the highest level since 2020. While this signals some softening in employment conditions, renewed business confidence is expected to encourage employers to cautiously increase hiring, particularly through temporary roles as a flexible, low-risk solution. Rising part-time employment, which accounts for around one-fifth of the workforce, has expanded staffing agencies' opportunities, especially as businesses and workers seek flexibility amid economic uncertainty. However, intense competition and rising overheads have led to a decline in profit across the industry since 2020-21, putting additional pressure on agencies to differentiate and control costs. In response, agencies are deepening sector specialisation, expanding into new geographic markets and focusing on value-added services to maintain competitiveness in an increasingly crowded and price-sensitive industry. Industry revenue is expected to fall at an annualised 3.6% over the five years through 2025-26 to $2.3 billion, including an anticipated 1.8% slip in 2025-26. The industry's performance is set to be mixed over the coming years. A projected slowdown in construction activity, driven by the winding down of major rebuilds and tighter credit conditions, is set to reduce demand for blue-collar temporary staff and intensify competition among agencies for a shrinking pool of contracts. At the same time, client businesses' increased product innovation and adoption of in-house workforce management solutions are poised to reduce their reliance on external staffing agencies, pressuring traditional revenue streams. To sustain resilience, agencies are poised to diversify into resilient sectors like healthcare, IT and manufacturing while investing in digital recruitment tools, sector-specific training and workforce upskilling. Overall, industry revenue is forecast to dwindle at an annualised 2.3% over the five years through 2030-31 to $2.0 billion.

In 2018, the average one-year retention rate of healthcare and social assistance workers in New Zealand was 92 percent, the highest across all industries in the country. In contrast, the administrative and support industry had the lowest one-year retention rate of 66.9 percent.

As of 2020, the health care and social assistance industry employed the highest number of people in New Zealand, with around ******* salary or wage earners working in that industry. It was followed closely by the manufacturing industry, employing over ******* people.

In 2024, there were just under ** thousand employed women in New Zealand who were also participating in formal studies. This was a significant increase from 2019, in which there were approximately ** thousand employed women participating simultaneously in formal studies.

New Zealand NZ: Unemployment with Advance Education: Male: % of Male Labour Force data was reported at 3.970 % in 2013. This records a decrease from the previous number of 4.790 % for 2012. New Zealand NZ: Unemployment with Advance Education: Male: % of Male Labour Force data is updated yearly, averaging 2.940 % from Dec 1995 (Median) to 2013, with 16 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4.790 % in 2012 and a record low of 1.280 % in 1997. New Zealand NZ: Unemployment with Advance Education: Male: % of Male Labour Force data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s New Zealand – Table NZ.World Bank: Employment and Unemployment. The percentage of the labor force with an advanced level of education who are unemployed. Advanced education comprises short-cycle tertiary education, a bachelor’s degree or equivalent education level, a master’s degree or equivalent education level, or doctoral degree or equivalent education level according to the International Standard Classification of Education 2011 (ISCED 2011).; ; International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database. Data retrieved in November 2017.; Weighted Average;

New Zealand NZ: Labour Force With Advanced Education: % of Total Working-age Population data was reported at 70.490 % in 2013. New Zealand NZ: Labour Force With Advanced Education: % of Total Working-age Population data is updated yearly, averaging 70.490 % from Dec 2013 (Median) to 2013, with 1 observations. New Zealand NZ: Labour Force With Advanced Education: % of Total Working-age Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s New Zealand – Table NZ.World Bank: Labour Force. The percentage of the working age population with an advanced level of education who are in the labor force. Advanced education comprises short-cycle tertiary education, a bachelor’s degree or equivalent education level, a master’s degree or equivalent education level, or doctoral degree or equivalent education level according to the International Standard Classification of Education 2011 (ISCED 2011).; ; International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database. Data retrieved in September 2018.; Weighted average;

This individual (part 3b) dataset is displayed by statistical area 1 geography and contains information on:

• Total hours worked in employment per week

• Main means of travel to work, by usual residence address

• Main means of travel to work, by workplace address*

• Unpaid activities

* Workplace address is coded from information supplied by respondents about their workplaces. Where respondents do not supply sufficient information, their responses are coded to ‘not further defined’. The statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census excludes these ‘not further defined’ areas.

This dataset contains counts at statistical area 1 for selected variables from the 2018, 2013, and 2006 censuses. The geography corresponds to 2018 boundaries.

The data uses fixed random rounding to protect confidentiality. Some counts of less than 6 are suppressed according to 2018 confidentiality rules. Values of ‘-999’ indicate suppressed data, and values of ‘-997’ indicate data not collected.

For further information on this dataset please refer to the Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census webpage - footnotes for individual part 3b, Excel workbooks, and CSV files are available to download. Data quality ratings for 2018 Census variables, summarising the quality rating and priority levels for 2018 Census variables, are available.

For information on the statistical area 1 geography please refer to the Statistical standard for geographic areas 2018.

Labour market statistics (disability) provides comparisons between labour market measures for disabled and non-disabled people in New Zealand. Information includes labour market participation and employment rates as well as differences in wages and salaries received.

Mixed methods study on workplace factors influencing New Zealand registered nurses psychological resilience using survey and interview data.