Graph and download economic data for OECD based Recession Indicators for New Zealand from the Peak through the Trough (DISCONTINUED) (NZLRECDM) from 1960-02-01 to 2017-10-31 about peak, trough, New Zealand, and recession indicators.

*** percent of the labor force in New Zealand were unemployed as of the first quarter of 2020. According to world bank estimates, the annual share of the labor force that were unemployed in 2019 was at **** percent. By international standards, however, this value is relatively low.

Employment opportunities

After experiencing an economic downtown following the 2008 global financial crisis, the labor market in New Zealand has been slow to recover to pre-recession levels. This can be observed in the unemployment rate of the country, as well as in other economic indicators. That’s not to say the labor market isn’t improving - by 2020, employment in the country was estimated to continue increasing to **** million people. However this estimate was made before the coronavirus crisis in early 2020. The country’s labor force participation rate, a measure of an economy’s active labor force, has also continued to increase.

The job market

New Zealand’s employment landscape is dominated by the services sector; over ** percent of the workforce are employed in this economic sector. Although the agriculture and goods-producing sectors have been historically strong, the shift towards the services sector is becoming more evident across the nation.

The Water Freight Transport industry has grown over the past five years, but revenue volatility has been very high. The industry experienced strong revenue growth over the two years through 2022-23, due to a recovery in activity following a slump in 2020-21 at the start of the pandemic. Rising fuel prices over the two years through 2022-23, caused by the onset of the Russia-Ukraine conflict allowed shipping companies to increase fuel surcharges, boosting revenue. Meanwhile, disruptions to global supply chains increased demand and pricing power of domestic shipping companies, further increasing revenue and supporting a surge in margins. However, over the three years through 2025-26, the industry has faced declines with falling world crude oil prices leading to declining fuel surcharges, normalising global supply chains limiting pricing power, weakening economic conditions reducing freight volumes and fleet breakdowns and ageing and retiring vessels disrupting coastal shipping and ferry activity. Overall, industry revenue is expected to grow by an annualised 6.8% over the five years through 2025-26, including a 5.2% slump in the current year. The industry has faced significant turmoil over the last five years. The second-largest player, KiwiRail, has had multiple major breakdowns of its ferries and was forced to retire its Aratere ferry, the only rail ferry in New Zealand, in mid-2025 due to mounting maintenance costs and decaying infrastructure. The change in government in 2023 saw the scrapping of coastal shipping funding for the expansion of domestic New Zealand fleets, and a new funding plan for landside infrastructure funding for Cook Strait ferries. Shifts in government funding policies have caused delays and disruptions to the expansion of the New Zealand shipping fleet and upgrades of ageing landside infrastructure. The industry is expected to return to sluggish growth over the next five years, following revenue declines over the three years through 2025-26. Growth is expected to be supported by the recovery of the New Zealand economy, following a recession in mid- to late-2024. Slow growth in oil prices is also expected to increase fuel surcharges slightly. However, margins are expected to remain low amid rising maintenance costs from an ageing fleet. Industry revenue is expected to grow at an annualised 1.0% over the five years through 2030-31.

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Taiwan expanded 8.21 percent in the third quarter of 2025 over the same quarter of the previous year. This dataset provides - Taiwan GDP Annual Growth Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Demand for financial asset broking services has been mixed over the past few years. Merger and acquisition (M&A) activity peaked in 2021, spurred by digitisation trends and low interest rates. More recently, inflationary pressures and subdued business sentiment have curtailed M&A plans. Still, demand in the technology and telecommunications sectors, driven by rising interest in AI, continues to offer respite within the broader M&A landscape. Meanwhile, mortgage broking plunged along with new residential mortgage lending over the two years through 2023-24 as dwindling housing affordability weighed on mortgage uptake. However, mortgage activity has since rebounded, as successive cash rate cuts from August 2024 have improved housing affordability and stimulated property transactions. New Zealand’s small market size and strong competition from foreign exchanges, notably the ASX, constrain industry revenue and profitability expansion. Despite rocky market conditions, some segments, like capital raising, have outperformed other investment banking services. Companies seeking to fortify their balance sheets amid a harsh trading environment have bolstered capital-raising activity. Amendments to the NZX’s listing rules in January 2024 to allow accelerated non-renounceable entitlement offers (ANREOs) have provided issuers more flexibility in their fundraising activities, further stimulating capital-raising activity. This shift and mounting appetite for capital-raising activity have partly offset other segments' decline. Overall, industry revenue is expected to nosedive at an annualised 5.8% to $556.4 million over the five years through 2025-26. Nevertheless, improved mortgage uptake and a widespread recovery in the housing market are anticipated to contribute to a 2.2% revenue rise in 2025-26. Stabilising macroeconomic conditions and easing inflation are forecast to improve economic and monetary policy certainty. This environment is likely to narrow valuation gaps between targets and acquirers, supporting a moderate uptick in M&A activity. Nonetheless, heightened recession concerns fuelled by recent US reciprocal tariffs are tempering investor sentiment, limiting the overall momentum for deals. New Zealand’s smaller market size and fewer opportunities on the NZX will continue driving domestic companies to list on larger exchanges like the ASX. While upcoming reforms – like the removal of the requirement to publish prospective financial information for NZX IPOs – may help stimulate the exchange's IPO pipeline, it's unlikely to match foreign markets’ capital appeal. Meanwhile, housing market policies like partially restoring interest deductibility for residential investment loans, shortening the bright-line test and increasing land availability are poised to reignite property transactions. That’s why revenue is projected to rise at an annualised 2.9% to $643.0 million through the end of 2030-31.

Commercial and industrial building construction has endured volatile conditions over the past five years stemming from the COVID-19 outbreak and the onset of a recession. Investment in offices, retail premises and hotel developments dipped during 2020-21 as stay-at-home pandemic restrictions forced New Zealanders to work and shop online. At the same time, international border closures stalled foreign tourism, leading to a slump in hotel construction. Easing pandemic restrictions and the vaccination rollout saw the industry rebound from this recessionary slump. A surge of investment in industrial building construction – particularly warehouses, distribution centres and data storage facilities – has underpinned the industry’s rebound. Work on industrial building projects climbed to unprecedented heights to meet escalating online retailing and growth in merchandise trade. Builders have generated work on new offices and other business premises, like transport terminals and commercial car parks, as investment has strengthened thanks to favourable trends in employment and household construction. Conditions have been less favourable in the retail building market, though, as thriving online shopping activity has eroded the need for bricks-and-mortar stores. Industry revenue is expected to have climbed at an annualised 1.3% over the five years through 2024-25 to reach $8.1 billion. This includes an anticipated 4.8% fall in 2024-25, corresponding with the completion of several prominent developments in Auckland, including the Horizon Hotel and the Te Kehu Way office complex at Sylvia Park. Modest revenue growth through 2024-25 has helped widen the industry’s profitability, particularly for builders focusing on constructing industrial developments. Escalating prices for building material, fuel and equipment stemming from supply chain disruptions during the pandemic and following the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict have contained overall profit growth. Builders in the industrial property market will face deteriorating prospects as activity winds back from the unprecedented levels of construction seen over recent years. Still, the industry is headed for a solid performance over the coming years, reflecting favourable trends in the labour force, business numbers and household consumption expenditure. Solid office construction and a resurgence in hotels and tourism facility construction will drive industry expansion. Industry revenue is forecast to climb at an annualised 1.6% over the five years through 2029-30 to $8.8 billion.