Every release since 2 Feb 2016: 44 on record, actual against forecast. Medium impact for the NZD. Updated within the hour of each release.
The last NZ Unemployment Rate (Q3 2026, released 3 Nov 2026) came in at 5.7%, above the 5.5% forecast; the previous reading was 5.6%.
Since 2016, NZ Unemployment Rate has come in above forecast 29% of the time and below 50% (42 releases with a forecast); over the last 12 it beat 33%. It has now come in above forecast 2 releases in a row.
The average miss against forecast over the last 24 releases was 0.17%: lower than expected is good for the NZD.
| Released | Period | Actual | Forecast | Previous | Vs forecast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Nov 2026 16:45 | Q3 2026 | 5.7% | 5.5% | 5.6% | above |
| 4 Aug 2026 18:45 | Q2 2026 | 5.6% | 5.4% | 5.4% | above |
| 5 May 2026 18:45 | Q1 2026 | 5.4% | 5.4% | 5.4% | in line |
| 3 Feb 2026 16:45 | Q4 2025 | 5.4% | 5.3% | 5.3% | above |
| 4 Nov 2025 16:45 | Q3 2025 | 5.3% | 5.3% | 5.2% | in line |
| 5 Aug 2025 18:45 | Q2 2025 | 5.2% | 5.3% | 5.2% | below |
| 6 May 2025 18:45 | Q1 2025 | 5.2% | 5.3% | 5.1% | below |
| 4 Feb 2025 16:45 | Q4 2024 | 5.1% | 5.1% | 4.9% | in line |
| 5 Nov 2024 16:45 | Q3 2024 | 4.9% | 5% | 4.7% | below |
| 6 Aug 2024 18:45 | Q2 2024 | 4.7% | 4.7% | 4.4% | in line |
| 30 Apr 2024 18:45 | Q1 2024 | 4.4% | 4.2% | 4% | above |
| 6 Feb 2024 16:45 | Q4 2023 | 4% | 4.2% | 3.9% | below |
| 31 Oct 2023 17:45 | Q3 2023 | 3.9% | 3.9% | 3.7% | in line |
| 1 Aug 2023 18:45 | Q2 2023 | 3.7% | 3.5% | 3.5% | above |
| 2 May 2023 18:45 | Q1 2023 | 3.5% | 3.5% | 3.4% | in line |
| 31 Jan 2023 16:45 | Q4 2022 | 3.4% | 3.3% | 3.3% | above |
| 1 Nov 2022 17:45 | Q3 2022 | 3.3% | 3.2% | 3.3% | above |
| 2 Aug 2022 18:45 | Q2 2022 | 3.3% | 3.1% | 3.3% | above |
| 3 May 2022 18:45 | Q1 2022 | 3.3% | 3.2% | 3.2% | above |
| 1 Feb 2022 16:45 | Q4 2021 | 3.2% | 3.4% | 3.3% | below |
| 2 Nov 2021 17:45 | Q3 2021 | 3.3% | 3.9% | 4% | below |
| 3 Aug 2021 18:45 | Q2 2021 | 4% | 4.5% | 4.6% | below |
| 4 May 2021 18:45 | Q1 2021 | 4.6% | 4.9% | 4.9% | below |
| 2 Feb 2021 16:45 | Q4 2020 | 4.9% | 5.6% | 5.2% | below |
| 3 Nov 2020 16:45 | Q3 2020 | 5.2% | 5.4% | 4.1% | below |
| 4 Aug 2020 18:45 | Q2 2020 | 4.1% | 5.8% | 4.2% | below |
| 5 May 2020 18:45 | Q1 2020 | 4.2% | 4.3% | 4.1% | below |
| 4 Feb 2020 16:45 | Q4 2019 | 4.1% | 4.2% | 4.1% | below |
| 5 Nov 2019 16:45 | Q3 2019 | 4.1% | 4.1% | 4.1% | in line |
| 5 Aug 2019 18:45 | Q2 2019 | 4.1% | 4.3% | 4.2% | below |
| 30 Apr 2019 18:45 | Q1 2019 | 4.2% | 4.2% | 4.3% | in line |
| 6 Feb 2019 16:45 | Q4 2018 | 4.3% | 4.1% | 4% | above |
| 6 Nov 2018 16:45 | Q3 2018 | 4% | 4.5% | 4.6% | below |
| 31 Jul 2018 18:45 | Q2 2018 | 4.6% | 4.4% | 4.4% | above |
| 1 May 2018 18:45 | Q1 2018 | 4.4% | 4.5% | 4.5% | below |
| 6 Feb 2018 16:45 | Q4 2017 | 4.5% | 4.6% | 4.7% | below |
| 31 Oct 2017 17:45 | Q3 2017 | 4.7% | 4.7% | 4.9% | in line |
| 1 Aug 2017 18:45 | Q2 2017 | 4.9% | 4.8% | 4.9% | above |
| 2 May 2017 18:45 | Q1 2017 | 4.9% | 5.2% | 5.1% | below |
| 31 Jan 2017 16:45 | Q4 2016 | 5.3% | – | 5% | – |
| 1 Nov 2016 17:45 | Q3 2016 | 5% | – | 5.1% | – |
| 16 Aug 2016 18:45 | Q2 2016 | 5.1% | 5.3% | 5.3% | below |
| 3 May 2016 18:45 | Q1 2016 | 5.3% | 5.5% | 5% | below |
| 2 Feb 2016 16:45 | Q4 2015 | 5% | 6.1% | 5.7% | below |
The last NZ Unemployment Rate (Q3 2026, released 3 Nov 2026) came in at 5.7%, above the 5.5% forecast; the previous reading was 5.6%.
NZ Unemployment Rate is released quarterly by Stats NZ. CRTLAB has 44 releases on record since 2 Feb 2016.
Since 2016, NZ Unemployment Rate has come in above forecast 29% of the time and below 50% (42 releases with a forecast); over the last 12 it beat 33%. It has now come in above forecast 2 releases in a row.
The highest was 5.7% (Q3 2026) and the lowest 3.2% (Q4 2021). The five-year average is 4.43%.
Usually the opposite: a lower reading than forecast is the good surprise for the NZD, and the bigger the surprise the bigger the move. On this page, green marks a release that was good for the NZD against its forecast, red one that was bad.
In New Zealand, the unemployment rate measures the number of people actively looking for a job as a percentage of the labour force.