
Employment confidence levels remain low
Employment confidence remains near the lows seen during the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown.
The Westpac-McDermott Miller Employment Confidence Index rose by 0.5 points to 88.8 in the June quarter, and was little changed over the past year.
An index number over 100 indicates optimists outnumbered

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Spinoff
2 hours ago
- The Spinoff
The cost of being: A solo parent navigating redundancy
As part of our series exploring how New Zealanders live and our relationship with money, a solo parent who was recently made redundant worries they may soon have to sell their house. This instalment of The Cost of Being is brought to you by Westpac. Want to be part of The Cost of Being? Fill out the questionnaire here. Gender: Female. Age: 46. Ethnicity: NZ-born European / Chinese. Role: Just made redundant. Salary/income/assets: Was $180,000 pa, now zero. Have a mortgage on a central Auckland home. My living location is: Urban. Rent/mortgage per week: $1,165 per week – I'm a solo parent with one child and a dog, so I pay for it all. Student loan or other debt payments per week: Credit card and hire purchase – $100. Typical weekly food costs Groceries: Approximately $300 per week, but always seem to be topping up for school lunches etc. Eating out: Once a week, something low key and cheap for a change. Takeaways: It's usually fakeaways – something like home made burgers and hand cut chips. Workday lunches: When working it was $10-$12 on something from an average cafe, now I'm unemployed it's a cheese and lettuce sandwich and coffee at home. Cafe coffees/snacks: Minimal, but once or twice a week will stop at a bakery for convenience. Other food costs: Wine! $20 per week. Savings: Zero – I just can't afford to save anything with the cost of living. I worry about money: Always. Three words to describe my financial situation: Highly anxious… if I don't find a job soon, I'll have to sell the house and move in with my parents – not a great option given I'm 46 and have a child. My biggest edible indulgence would be: I love to dine out, but do need to be measured about how often – Auckland restaurant month menus allowed for a delicious dinner at Origine for $45. In a typical week my alcohol expenditure would be: $20-$30. In a typical week my transport expenditure would be: Petrol, $80 on average weekly. I estimate in the past year the ballpark amount I spent on my personal clothing (including sleepwear and underwear) was: $2000 – I'd love to shop more but can't afford to. My most expensive clothing in the past year was: After I got burgled, I splurged on a ring for $1,100 (thanks to insurance). My last pair of shoes cost: $120, Adidas Originals SL72. My grooming/beauty expenditure in a year is about: $1,200 – I'm low maintenance because I can't afford to be anything more. My exercise expenditure in a year is about: $50 – it's easy to see why I'm so unfit 🤦🏻♀️ My last Friday night cost: $40 – the cost of Ubers and dinner at a friend's house. Most regrettable purchase in the last 12 months was: My power bill and council rates – essential, but excruciating to pay for. Most indulgent purchase (that I don't regret) in the last 12 months was: A ski trip to Queenstown last winter. One area where I'm a bit of a tightwad is: Myself – home ownership and solo parenting is a challenging combo. Five words to describe my financial personality would be: Struggling to prepare for the future. I grew up in a house where money was: Super tight, and not talked about. But we knew there wasn't enough. No planning for retirement. The last time my Eftpos card was declined was: Last week. In five years, in financial terms, I see myself: Selling the house to afford to live / affording today to afford retirement. Downsizing. I would love to have more money for: Holidays and treats! Describe your financial low: Right now – unemployed, and the job market is the worst I've ever seen it. I'm anticipating my next job to pay 50% of the last one, just so I can have one. I give money away to: Charities on occasion, but I can't afford to really.

1News
16 hours ago
- 1News
Jetstar apologises for misleading NZ customers as hefty fine looms
Budget airline Jetstar has apologised to New Zealand customers as it anticipates a hefty fine after pleading guilty to misleading passengers about their rights. The Commerce Commission took Jetstar to court over charges that it discouraged consumers from seeking compensation they were legally entitled to for delayed or cancelled flights. Representatives from both parties appeared in the Auckland District Court on Thursday for sentencing, however Judge Brooke Gibson reserved his decision for a later date. The Commerce Commission argued that Jetstar's offending was not just careless but reckless, and continued despite multiple warnings and similar charges from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission in 2018. Jetstar's lawyer Joe Edwards argued that his client had shown remorse and done everything it could to refund customers. ADVERTISEMENT As of March of 2025, Jetstar had refunded $843,000. Judge Gibson commended the airline and noted this number had risen to more than $1 million in the following months. Both parties agreed to a starting point of $2.5 million and a 25 percent uplift in recognition of Jetstar's financial position, Judge Gibson reserving his decision as to the discounts he will apply to the fine. 'Deeply sorry' - Airline misled fliers on compensation, denied others, watch on TVNZ+ Jetstar apologised in a written statement. "We are deeply sorry for letting our New Zealand customers down during our Covid restart by incorrectly assessing some compensation claims for cancelled flights in 2022 and 2023," the airline said. "We know this caused frustration, stress and financial impact, and we take full responsibility for these mistakes." It said that, in the previous two years, staff had reviewed thousands of past claims and been in contact with customers impacted by the "errors". ADVERTISEMENT "For anyone who still feels they may not have received the correct compensation for a past flight disruption in Aotearoa, please get in touch with us here so we can review your case," it said. "We've made significant changes to prevent this from happening again, including updating our website and communications so New Zealand customer rights are clear, improving training and strengthening our claims review process."


Otago Daily Times
18 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Jetstar sorry for misleading Kiwi passengers
The Commerce Commission took Jetstar to court over charges it discouraged consumers from seeking compensation they were entitled to for delayed or cancelled flights. Photo: ODT files Budget airline Jetstar has apologised to New Zealand customers, as it anticipates a hefty fine after pleading guilty to misleading passengers about their rights. The Commerce Commission took Jetstar to court over charges that it discouraged consumers from seeking compensation they were legally entitled to for delayed or cancelled flights. Representatives from both parties appeared in the Auckland District Court today for sentencing, however Judge Gibson reserved his decision for a later date. The New Zealand watchdog argued that Jetstar's offending was not just careless but reckless, and continued despite multiple warnings and similar charges from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission in 2018. Jetstar's lawyer Joe Edwards argued that his client had shown remorse and done everything it could to refund customers. As of March this year, Jetstar had refunded $843,000. Judge Gibson commended the airline and noted this number had risen to more than $1 million in the following months. Both parties agreed to a starting point of $2.5 million and a 25% uplift in recognition of Jetstar's financial position. Judge Gibson reserved his decision as to the discounts he would apply to the fine. Jetstar has apologised in a written statement. "We are deeply sorry for letting our New Zealand customers down during our Covid restart by incorrectly assessing some compensation claims for cancelled flights in 2022 and 2023. "We know this caused frustration, stress and financial impact, and we take full responsibility for these mistakes." The airline said that in the previous two years, staff had reviewed thousands of past claims and been in contact with customers affected by the "errors." "For anyone who still feels they may not have received the correct compensation for a past flight disruption in Aotearoa, please get in touch with us here so we can review your case," it said. "We've made significant changes to prevent this from happening again, including updating our website and communications so New Zealand customer rights are clear, improving training and strengthening our claims review process."