NZ Jobs and Wages
There are about 2.35 million filled jobs in New Zealand (Sep 2026), up 1% on a year earlier. Wage rates rose 2% in the year to the Jun 2026 quarter, which is 2.1 percentage points below inflation over the same period.
Built from Stats NZ employment and labour cost data. Figures refresh automatically.
Filled jobs
2.35m
all industries, jobs with wages paid in the month · Sep 2026 · Stats NZ
Job growth vs last year
+1%
filled jobs, same month a year earlier · Sep 2026 · Stats NZ
Wage growth
2%
all sectors, salary and wage rates · Jun 2026 · Stats NZ
Private sector wage growth
2%
salary and wage rates, vs a year earlier · Jun 2026 · Stats NZ
Wages vs inflation
−2.1 pts
wage growth minus CPI inflation, same year · Jun 2026 · NZ Business Alliance calculation
Filled jobs
Change in filled jobs on the same month a year earlier, all industries
Wages against prices
Annual change in wage rates (Labour cost index) and consumer prices
Where jobs are growing
Change in filled jobs by industry, latest month, on a year earlier
Where wages are rising
Private sector wage rates by industry, latest quarter, on a year earlier
What this means for your business
- Hiring: filled jobs are growing at 1% a year. Mining is adding jobs fastest (+5.3%) and Information Media and Telecommunications is weakest (−2%).
- Pay rises: wage rates rose 2% over the year. Health Care and Social Assistance is rising fastest (+2.8%), which is a guide to what staff in that industry may expect.
- Real wages: prices rose faster than pay, so the buying power of wages fell by about 2.1 points over the year, which shapes demand for what you sell and what your staff ask for. (This is wage growth minus inflation for the same year; wage data lags prices by one quarter.)
Data tables
Job growth by industry
| Industry | Change on a year earlier |
|---|---|
| Mining | +5.3% |
| Public Administration and Safety | +3.7% |
| Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services | +2.5% |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | +2.1% |
| Administrative and Support Services | +1.7% |
| Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing | +1.6% |
| Arts and Recreation Services | +1.6% |
| Construction | +1.3% |
| Financial and Insurance Services | +1.1% |
| Education and Training | +1.1% |
| Manufacturing | +0.6% |
| Retail Trade | +0.6% |
| Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services | +0.4% |
| Transport, Postal and Warehousing | +0.3% |
| Professional, Scientific and Technical Services | −0.2% |
| Wholesale Trade | −0.4% |
| Other Services | −0.4% |
| Accommodation and Food Services | −0.6% |
| Information Media and Telecommunications | −2% |
Wage growth by industry
| Industry | Change on a year earlier |
|---|---|
| Health Care and Social Assistance | +2.8% |
| Mining | +2.5% |
| Arts and Recreation Services | +2.5% |
| Transport, Postal and Warehousing | +2.4% |
| Administrative and Support Services | +2.4% |
| Other Services | +2.4% |
| Financial and Insurance Services | +2.3% |
| Manufacturing | +2.2% |
| Wholesale Trade | +2.1% |
| Professional, Scientific and Technical Services | +2.1% |
| Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services | +2% |
| Retail Trade | +1.8% |
| Accommodation and Food Services | +1.8% |
| Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing | +1.6% |
| Construction | +1.6% |
| Education and Training | +1.6% |
| Information Media and Telecommunications | +1.5% |
| Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services | +1.2% |
Sources and method
Stats NZ, Employment indicators (CC BY 4.0); Stats NZ, Labour cost index and Consumers price index (CC BY 4.0). Filled jobs count jobs with wages paid in the month, from tax data. The Labour cost index tracks the price of labour for the same work over time, so it is not affected by changes in the mix of jobs. Annual changes are calculated by NZ Business Alliance against the same period one year earlier. Data built 2026-10-30.