Latest news with #AtaPatene
1News
06-08-2025
- Business
- 1News
Unemployment rate rises to 5.2%
Unemployment rose to 5.2% in the June quarter of 2025, according to new numbers from Stats NZ — the highest it's been since September 2020. It's a slight increase from the previous 5.1% in the March 2025 quarter and 4.7% in the June 2024 quarter. There were 158,000 people unemployed in the June 2025 quarter. In the March 2025 quarter, there were 156,000. Unemployment rose by 16,000 people (11.1%) annually. 'Labour market conditions have changed considerably in the last few years. Since the June 2022 quarter, the unemployment rate has risen by 1.9 percentage points,' labour market spokesperson Jason Attewell said. ADVERTISEMENT 'The underutilisation rate has risen by 3.5 percentage points over the same period.' The underutilisation rate, a measure of untapped labour market capacity which includes people who are unemployed or underemployed, was 12.8% in the June 2025 quarter. It was 12.4% in the March 2025 quarter and 119.% in the June 2024 quarter. The employment rate was 66.8%, down from 67.1% in the March quarter and 68.3% a year ago. Attewell said wages continued to grow, "although at a slower pace compared with June 2024'. Annual wage inflation was 2.4%, compared with 4.3% in the June 2024 quarter. 'Crushes my spirit' – jobseeker applies for dozens of roles Ata Patene had been looking for work for more than a year, applying for hundreds of roles in the process. (Source: 1News) ADVERTISEMENT Speaking before the release of today's numbers, job seeker Ata Patene, who had been looking for work for more than a year, told 1News she had applied for over 100 jobs. 'I've been looking for jobs for nearly a year and a half. I've been looking in person, on Seek, Indeed, Trade Me, and I've also been emailing companies directly. 'I've lost count of how many. This past week it was around 20.' She said she had been forced to look for work outside her experience in sectors such as retail, hospitality, administration and factory work. The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, new report into submersible implosion, body found in Auckland park, and mixed injury news for the Warriors. (Source: 1News) She once showed up to meet a family about a babysitting job, only to discover she had been catfished, and the "family" did not live there. Patene said looking for a job had been 'daunting' and 'pretty heartbreaking'. ADVERTISEMENT 'It's exciting getting interviews, but then I get the response that I didn't get the job, and that kind of crushes my spirit.' When can we expect things to get better? On Breakfast, BNZ chief economist Mike Jones gave his thoughts on what was driving unemployment, and when it could get better. (Source: 1News) BNZ chief economist Mike Jones told Breakfast this morning the job market was 'really tough out there'. 'A lot of people applying for a lot of jobs, and firms getting hundreds of applications for the jobs that they do list, so it's symptomatic of an imbalance that we're seeing in the labour market where there are more people looking for work, or looking for extra work than there are opportunities available.' He said the rising unemployment figures were likely an aftershock of last year's recession, and a reflection that the economic recovery had been 'pretty disappointing'. 'It's been a bit stop-start, it's been stumbling along, so that's impacted hiring plans as well. ADVERTISEMENT 'Firms haven't felt confident in the economic environment to get going, hiring again.' For employment numbers to stabilise again, the economy needed to find its feet, Jones said. He expected this to happen, but said 'it will take some time'. 'I think for the improvement that we'd all like to see in the labour market, we are looking at a picture that is probably sliding into next year.' 'Not satisfied' - Finance Minister Finance Minister Nicola Willis. (Source: Getty) Finance Minister Nicola Willis said that while unemployment was lower than what was forecast by Treasury, the Government was 'not satisfied' with the rate. 'We are concerned for every New Zealander who wants a job and can't get one.' ADVERTISEMENT She said the Government had worked hard to rebuild the economy, and said its focus had been on controlling inflation and ensuring interest rates could come down and economic growth could be restored. 'Those are the conditions that lead to a fall in unemployment, and we have long known that until we had those conditions in place, it would be very challenging to get the unemployment number down.' She believed the Government was making 'good progress' in recovering the economy, citing slower inflation and lower interest rates. Willis said the Government was using public projects to help with employment in the short term. PM has 'abandoned' middle NZ – Hipkins Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins. (Source: Getty) Labour leader Chris Hipkins said the latest figures were 'clear proof' that the Government was failing New Zealanders. ADVERTISEMENT 'While thousands of people are out of work and struggling to pay the bills, Luxon is looking after property speculators and fossil fuel companies. He has abandoned middle New Zealand. 'What's worse is that these figures don't even include the thousands of Kiwis who have left for Australia to find work that should be available here. 'Kiwis are voting with their feet and leaving in record numbers. That is a clear vote of no confidence in National.'
RNZ News
27-06-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Jobseekers' battle not improving, taking a toll
Ata Patene says she's been looking for a job for more than a year without any luck. She has experience working in retail and hospitality and has tried applying for jobs through Seek, Indeed and in response to Facebook ads, as well as emailing companies directly. "I also applied in person, and attended 15 or 20 interviews, but barely ever get a call back. Even McDonald's didn't see fit to hire me, and other fast-food restaurants. I've also applied for volunteer positions, but was rejected from those as well." She said recruitment agencies had ghosted her and sometimes she ran out of job ads to apply for. She said it was "incredibly challenging". Ata Patene has been looking for a job for over a year. Photo: RNZ/Calvin Samuel "The emotional toll is significant, job hunting has taken over my life with more rejection letters than call backs. "I've been scammed while applying for work, which has made matters worse and added to my frustration. "I'm currently reliant on a benefit, but I'm not allowed to study full-time without risking my payments being cut off. This limitation makes it challenging for me to upskill and improve my employability." Patene said she was at a breaking point and feeling hopeless. She wanted to be able to earn an income to help support her family. "I'm willing to work for anyone, doing anything legal and appropriate. I'm flexible with regards to pay, hours and days - I'm open to overtime, part-time, full-time or casual work. "I'm desperate for an opportunity to get back on my feet." She said she had been told that one job she applied for in a mall had thousands of applicants. Ata Patene says she is at a breaking point and feels hopeless. Photo: RNZ/Calvin Samuel Data from Trade Me shows that Patene's experience is not unusual. In the past year, jobs on the site had attracted significant numbers of applications . An ad for an IHC Calf and Rural Scheme administrative assistant in Southland drew 998, an Idea Services support worker ad in Waikato had 753 and Farro Fresh received 740 applications for its ad for Christmas casuals. Ikea, which is due to open in Auckland soon, is working to hire 500 staff but media have reported that more than 15,000 people had applied to work there. Seek data shows application numbers for sport and recreation jobs are up 32 percent year-on-year, science and technology up 22 percent and insurance and superannuation up 29 percent. BNZ chief economist Mike Jones said the labour market was a tough place to be. "Even when we look at the hard numbers what we're seeing is job advertisements not really going anywhere. They're about 50 percent down from the peak and holding around those 11-year lows now for about a year. "I don't think the job market has got any worse but it's still very weak. "I think fewer vacancies coupled with the fact the working age population continues to grow means the competition for the jobs that are out there is intense." He said surveys showed businesses said they intended to hire more people over the coming 12 months but that had not happened yet. "Those job advertisements have yet to pick up at all. I think the first thing that needs to happen is a firmer recovery in the activity side of the economy which seems to be experiencing a couple of wobbles through the middle part of the year. "The labour market being the lagging part of the economy that it is, it's probably late this year or early next before we see any clear evidence the labour market is picking up again." He said the "discouraged worker effect" could be seen in falling labour participation rates. For men, the labour force participation rate is 75.1 percent and for women it is 66.6 percent. A year ago, that number was 75.8 percent for men and 67.3 percent for women. Just under 13 percent of people aged 15 to 24 were not in employment, education or training in the March quarter. "Unemployment at 5 percent might understate the weakness in the labour market because people are being discouraged and dropping out of the labour force. "Stopping looking for jobs, doing other things, going to training or moving overseas. "All that tends to go hand in hand with a weak labour market. That's going to be with us for a wee while yet." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
