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Indigenous

Maori unemployment rises to 7.6%, as overall rate slightly up at 3.9%

Māori unemployment has risen to 7.6% in the year to September 30, up 1.2 percentage points.

And Pasifika unemployment has risen to 6.6%, up 0.6 of a percentage point.

They contrast with the overalll unemployment rate, which rose to 3.9% in the year to Sept 30, from 3.6%

That follows a hard year, with rising interest rates and cost of living.

The employment rate fell to 69.1% from a high of 69.8% last quarter.

Māori employment rose marginally by .3 of a percentage point to 65.1%, and Pasifika employment rose 0.6 points to 6.6% compared with the country’s overall employment rate of 69.1%, which fell from a high of 69.8 in the last quarter.

Stats NZ’s latest figures showed that of the Māori labour force of 441,900 (up 16,800), 408,2000 were employed (up 10, 200) and 33,000 unemployed (up 6500) in the last quarter.

Of the Pasifika labour force of 192,600, (up 7100), 180,000 were employed (up 5600) and 12,600 unemployed (up 1500).

In the latest quarter, average ordinary time hourly earnings, measured by the quarterly survey of employment increased to $40.40, which was up 6.7% year on year.

Wage growth measured by the labour cost index (LCI) including overtime increased 4.3% in the year.