-- New Zealand's seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate fell to 5.3% in the March quarter from 5.4% in the December 2025 quarter, data from Stats NZ showed on Wednesday.
The seasonally-adjusted number of unemployed people for the quarter was 163,000, down from 165,000 for the December 2025 quarter.
The underutilization rate was unchanged at nearly 13% in the quarter, while the participation rate slid 70.4% from 70.5% in the December 2025 quarter.
The seasonally-adjusted employment rate was flat at about 67%.
The seasonally adjusted youth not in employment, education, or training (NEET) rate rose to over 14% in the March quarter, up from over 13% in the December 2025 quarter.
"Women aged 20 to 24 continue to have the highest NEET rate, rising 1.9 percentage points to 20.3% in the March quarter," labor market spokesperson Abby Johnston said.