New Zealand's unemployment rate hit 7.3 percent in the December quarter, up from 6.5 percent, its highest level since the June 1999 quarter.
The Household Labour Force Survey, published today, showed those people officially without jobs jumped 18,000 to 168,000. This was double the Labour Department forecast of a 9000 increase.
The unemployment rate was now at its highest level since the June 1999 quarter, said Government Statistician Geoff Bascand. The increase was mainly due to a rise in the number of people entering the labour force but unable to find work, he said.
During the past year, the increase in jobless was particularly marked among young people (aged 15-24), with the unemployment rate for this group rising 6.4 percentage points to reach 18.4 percent.
The rate also remains high for Maori (15.4 percent), Pacific Islanders (14 percent), and Middle Eastern/Latin American/African (17.1 percent). The unemployment rate for NZ Europeans stands at 4.6 percent.
The number of people with jobs dropped by 2000 or 0.1 percent during the latest quarter, compared with a 16,000 decline in the previous quarter.
Over the past year, employment fell by 53,000 or 2.4 percent, with the greatest slide in the Auckland and Canterbury regions.
The New Zealand dollar dived half a US cent straight after the jobless figure was released.
