The number of jobs held by wage and salary earners continued to increase through the latter part of last year, albeit at a slow rate.
Figures released yesterday by Statistics New Zealand showed the national employment indicator rose annually for the 20th consecutive month.
"What we see is that the run of positive annual change in seasonally adjusted filled jobs has extended to 20 months, going as far back as May 2010," industry and labour statistics manager Diane Ramsay said in a statement.
The number of seasonally adjusted filled jobs in December was up 0.7% compared with December 2010. In November, the number of seasonally adjusted filled jobs was up 0.8% on the previous November.
November data was processed and produced later than usual due to the holiday period, Ms Ramsay said.
The national employment indicator was an experimental series that covered jobs held by people being paid a wage or salary during the month. It provided an early indication of change in the number of filled jobs at national level.
The focus should be on changes and movements between months rather than the level of filled jobs, Ms Ramsay said.
