Labour market and migration
Updated 13 Aug 2011
Mixed results for construction employment
There were 171,100 people employed in the construction industry in the June 2011 quarter, according to Statistics New Zealand’s Household Labour Force Survey (HLFS). This is a rise of 3.9% on the March 2011 quarter but a decrease of 6.9% on the June 2010 quarter.
The number of paid hours in construction declined by 4.2% in the June 2011 quarter but rose 4.8% compared with the June 2010 quarter.
There were 2,214,000 people employed in all industries in the June 2011 quarter, almost unchanged on the quarter and up 2.0% for the year. The labour force participation rate (the proportion of working age people that are employed or looking for work) rose to 68.4%, a quarterly increase of 0.8%. The unemployment rate was 6.5%, unchanged from the March 2011 quarter.
Source: Statistics New Zealand, HLFS
Migration turns negative
In the June 2011 quarter, there were 1,180 more departures than arrivals in seasonally adjusted terms. This was the first quarterly decline in net migration since 2001.
There were 3,867 more long-term arrivals than departures in the June 2011 year compared to an average of 9,321 per year over the previous five years.
Source: Statistics New Zealand.
There were 566 more long-term departures than arrivals for those working in construction 1 in the June 2011 quarter. The loss is due to the increase in departures and decrease in arrival, both of which began in late 2010. 
Source: Statistics New Zealand.
1Migration data for construction and building-related trades is the sum of the ANZSCO minor occupations: Construction, Distribution and Production Managers; Architects, Designers, Planners and Surveyors; Engineering Professionals; Building and Engineering Technicians; Bricklayers, Carpenters and Joiners; Floor Finishers and Painting Trades Workers; Glaziers, Plasterers and Tilers; Plumbers; Construction and Mining Labourers.