Unemployment hits 5.2%, 16,000 more jobless in past year
This is the highest unemployment rate since 2020.
It compares with 5.1% in the March 2025 quarter and 4.7% in the June 2024 quarter.
It was slightly better than the 5.3% expected by the consensus of economists but in line with Reserve Bank forecasts.
There were 158,000 unemployed people (seasonally adjusted) in the June 2025 quarter, compared with 156,000 in the March 2025 quarter.
Annually, unemployment rose by 16,000 people.
But the numbers for New Zealand’s largest city look much worse.
The unemployment rate in the Auckland region increased 1.5% annually, from 4.6% in the June 2024 quarter to 6.1% in the June 2025 quarter. Annually, the number of unemployed people in Auckland increased by 15,000.
Auckland had 23,100 fewer people in employment year-on-year, but its total labour force also fell.
“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 spokesman Jason Attewell said.
“The underutilisation rate has risen by 3.5 percentage points over the same period.”
The underutilisation rate was 12.8% in the June 2025 quarter, compared with 12.4% in the March 2025 quarter and 11.9% in the June 2024 quarter.
Underutilisation is a broad measure of untapped labour market capacity that includes unemployed and underemployed people, along with the potential labour force.
“A relatively sharp rise in the underutilisation rate suggests overall slack in the labour market has opened up a little more than the headline unemployment rate implies,” ANZ senior economist Miles Workman said.
The employment rate was 66.8% in the June 2025 quarter, compared with 67.1% in the March 2025 quarter and 68.3% in the June 2024 quarter.
“Wages continued to grow, although at a slower pace compared with June 2024,” Attewell said.
Annual wage inflation was 2.4%, compared with 4.3% in the June 2024 quarter, and average ordinary time hourly earnings were $43.39, up 4.5% (compared with a 5% rise in the June 2024 quarter).
ANZ market strategist David Croy said there was little market reaction, the New Zealand dollar remaining at around US59.02c in the minutes following the release.
“It [the data] was on the soft side, relative to where the Reserve Bank saw things,” Croy said, adding the release confirmed that there was slack in the labour market.
Finance Minister Nicola Willis noted that the unemployment rate landed lower than many had forecast, but that it was tracking slightly better than Treasury forecasts from last year.
“Treasury has been forecasting since prior to the last election that unemployment would peak around this time this year, and they had predicted that it would be at 5.4% now, whereas today’s print is 5.2%,” Willis said.
“Prior to the election, Treasury had forecasted [sic] that at this point in time, there would be 8000 more people unemployed than has actually turned out to be the case in these numbers.”
But BNZ head of research Stephen Toplis described the data as “unequivocally weak”.
“At face value, the movement in employment and the level of unemployment revealed a labour market that was not as weak as we had expected,” Toplis said.
“But a look under the bonnet reveals a picture that is at least as soft as we had feared, and one which is certainly weaker than the Reserve Bank had expected when it put together its May Monetary Policy Statement.”
Kiwibank economists agreed.
“At first glance, today’s employment report looked a bit better than expected, but it wasn’t,” senior economist Mary Jo Vergara said.
“It’s the big drop in labour force participation that’s keeping a lid on the unemployment rate,” Vergara said.
From (a downwardly revised) 70.7% to 70.5%, the participation rate had dropped to a four-year low.
“That in itself is a sign of a weak labour market. People are leaving the labour market because it is simply not as attractive as it once was,” Vergara said.
In fact, the labour force shrank over the year.
“That doesn’t happen often,” she said. “The 0.4% decline is the deepest since March 2013.”
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The Gospel’s Relevance Today**
The Gospel, meaning ‘good news’, is the cornerstone of the message contained in the Bible’s first four books—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. While these records were written approximately 2,000 years ago, a natural question arises: why is this Gospel still relevant and vital for us today? This analysis seeks to explore what the Bible itself defines as the Gospel and to understand its enduring significance.
**Defining the Gospel: Core Biblical References**
The Gospel is not a vague concept; Scripture provides clear descriptions of its content and focus.
* **The Gospel of the Kingdom:** In Matthew 4:23, as Jesus begins his ministry, he is described as “preaching the gospel of the kingdom.” This immediately establishes that the good news is centrally about a kingdom—the Kingdom of God. His accompanying miracles served to validate the authority of this message.
* **The Gospel of Jesus Christ:** Mark 1:1 opens with, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Here, “Christ” is a title meaning ‘anointed one’. Thus, the good news is intrinsically about Jesus: his identity as the Anointed One and his unique status as the Son of God.
* **The Gospel of God’s Grace:** In Acts 20:24, the Apostle Paul speaks of his mission to “testify the gospel of the grace of God.” Grace signifies an undeserved gift. This reveals that the Gospel involves a gift from God, offered not because it is merited, but out of His benevolence.
* **The Gospel of Salvation and Peace:** Romans 1:16 declares the Gospel is “the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes,” breaking down barriers between Jew and Gentile (Greek). Furthermore, Romans 10:15 calls it the “gospel of peace,” pointing to a future state of peace brought about by this message.
* **The Gospel Summarised:** 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 provides a foundational summary. Paul reminds believers of the gospel he preached, “by which also you are saved.” He then states its core historical facts: “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.” The Gospel is therefore rooted in the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus.
In synthesis, the Gospel is the good news of **salvation and future peace in the Kingdom of God**, made possible by **the grace of God** and **the obedient sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ**, and offered to all who believe.
**Old Testament Foundations: The Gospel Preached to Abraham**
A crucial question is whether the Gospel is confined to the New Testament. Scripture shows its foundations were laid much earlier. Galatians 3:8 states explicitly that “the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, ‘In you all the nations shall be blessed.’”
This reference points back to Genesis 12:1-3, where God made profound promises to Abraham: to make him a great nation, to bless those who blessed him, and that “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” These promises—later reaffirmed to Isaac and Jacob—form the bedrock of the Gospel hope. The good news of salvation through Christ is the fulfillment of how **all nations** would be blessed through Abraham’s “seed.”
**The Gospel’s Personal Relevance: Good News for You Today**
How does this ancient message become “good news for you” today? The application is clearly outlined in Galatians 3.
* **Access through Faith in Christ:** Galatians 3:26 declares, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” The promise made to Abraham is now extended to anyone with faith in Jesus.
* **The Role of Baptism:** Verse 27 explains, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” Baptism is the God-appointed act of faith that identifies a believer with Christ’s death and resurrection.
* **Unity and Inheritance:** Verses 28-29 reveal the glorious outcome: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Through the Gospel, all barriers are removed; believers become spiritual descendants of Abraham and heirs to the promises of the Kingdom.
This Gospel was once a mystery hidden in God’s purpose (Ephesians 3:3-9). Now, it has been revealed: the unsearchable riches of Christ, offering salvation to all who heed the call, believe the message, and are baptised into him.
**Conclusion: An Enduring and Open Invitation**
The Gospel is far more than a historical account; it is the living, powerful good news of God’s plan for salvation. It is rooted in promises to Abraham, accomplished through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and open to all people without distinction. It offers a tangible hope—the hope of resurrection, peace, and an inheritance in the coming Kingdom of God. This is why the Gospel remains profoundly relevant. It is an invitation to listen, believe, and stand firm in this hope, linking our lives today to the eternal purpose of God.
Poll: 🤖 What skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
The Reserve Bank has shared some pretty blunt advice: there’s no such thing as a “safe” job anymore 🛟😑
Robots are stepping into repetitive roles in factories, plants and warehouses. AI is taking care of the admin tasks that once filled many mid-level office jobs.
We want to know: As the world evolves, what skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
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