An overview of labour force participation in Auckland, as indicated by results of Stats NZ's quarterly Household Labour Force Survey. HLFS

Overview and highlights

For the March 2026 quarter, compared to the preceding quarter (December 2025)

• Auckland’s unemployment rate was 6.6%, a little above December 2025 and the highest rate since 2014.
• The number of people who were unemployed was 69,500 (+3,400, a 5% rise).
• The number of people employed fell similarly, to 981,000 (-3,200, a 0.3% fall).
• The number of people not in the labour force (NILF) rose 1.6% to 426,100 (+6,900).
• The labour force participation rate (LFPR) fell 0.4% to 71.1%: second lowest in five years, similar to 2016-2019, but note that LFPR 2021-2025 had been at record highs.
• The rate of people aged 15 to 24 not in employment, education or training (NEET) was 17.6%, above the rest of New Zealand (15.0%) and a little above December 2025 (15.9%).

For the year ended March 2026, compared to the year ended March 2025:

• The unemployment rate averaged 6.3%, higher than a year earlier (5.4%).
• The largest proportionate rise in unemployment rate was for those aged 20 to 24 years (rising to 13.1% from 10.7%), followed by ages 25 to 39 (5.5%, up from 4.4%), and 15 to 19 years (29.2%, up from 25.1%); lowest proportionate rises were for ages 40 to 54 years (4.1%, up from 3.6%) and 55 years and over (3.4%, up from 3.1%).
• The unemployment rate for females averaged 6.7% (1.0% above a year prior (5.7%)); the rate for males averaged 5.9% (0.7% above the 5.2% of a year prior), so the gender gap (0.9%) stayed near the 20-year average (0.8%) and well below the peak (2.5%).
• Unemployment rates rose for all main ethnic groups. Māori and Pacific rates remain higher than the others: Māori at 14.1% (up from 11.5%), Pacific peoples at 12.9% (was 10.1%); Asian rose slightly to 5.2% (from 5.0%), European rose to 4.5% (was 3.9%).
• The labour force participation rate (LFPR) was 71.2%: down from a year earlier (72.7%), and the lowest since 2021, but remaining higher than any time before 2022.
• The LFPR for females decreased (66.4%, down from 67.9%), remaining significantly lower than for males (76.2%, was 77.6%) but maintaining the gender gap at 9.8%.
• LFPRs fell for those aged 15 to 19 (down 2.8% to 38.2%), but much less so for all other ages: 20 to 24 (minimal fall of 0.6% to 78.0%), 25-39 (86.8%, down 1.3%), 40-54 (87.0%, minimal fall of 0.6%), and 55 and over (50.5%, no meaningful change).
• LFPRs fell most for Māori (64.2%, down 2.4%) and European (71.3%, down 2.1%), less for Asian (75.2%, down 1.2%); the LFPR for Pacific peoples rose slightly (65.7%, up 0.4%).

In addition, for the year ended March 2026:

• The annual average NEET rate for Auckland was 15.3%, higher than the rest of New Zealand (12.7%), and a little above the year ended March 2025 (14.0%). The Auckland rate has been rising steadily since 2023, increasing by a third since then.
• NEET rates were highest for Māori (26.3%) and Pacific (23.2%) ethnicities, and for the Southern Initiative area (25.0%); half of NEETs identified as European or Asian.
• Auckland’s NEET rate was higher for those aged 20-24 (18.8%) than 15-19 (12.0%). ...

Overview published June 2026.

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