Where are we now?
The Commission has looked beyond the basic employment data to illustrate where New Zealand sits in terms of labour force participation. 
In compiling employment information for key demographic variables: gender, ethnicity, people with disabilities, young and old, the Commission was struck by a number of points.
• The number of people out of the labour force. This number includes people who are “not actively seeking work” as defined by Statistics New Zealand, as well as parents caring for dependent children and those who have retired.
• That employment data related to people with disabilities is only sampled every five years after the census.
• That there is no national statistical database regarding gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgender and intersex (GLBTI) people.
• The level of unemployment of Māori and Pacific youth.
• The level of unemployment of young Pacific women.
• The higher level of unemployment and the lower rate of youth participation in Auckland than in other regions.
Information has been obtained from two main sources; Statistics New Zealand and complaints and enquiries data from the Human Rights Commission. Employment statistics quoted are unemployment rates and participation rates.
Statistical data was purchased from Statistics New Zealand and is broken down from the Household Labour Force Survey December 20101. Where statistics are broken down to this extent, group samples can get quite small and may not be representative of the group as a whole. Apparent differences may be due to sampling errors rather than actual differences between the groups. Another caution is that in employment there may be several factors acting and the dominant factor may not be readily apparent. The statistics however, do point to areas of concern and at the least warrant further investigation.
Unemployment rate2
People are counted as unemployed if they are of working-age (over 15) who during the reference week were without a paid job, available for work, and had either actively sought work in the past four weeks, or had a new job to start within the next four weeks. Those who are without a job and have not actively sought work recently are not considered to be unemployed and are not in the labour force. The unemployment rate is the number of unemployed persons expressed as a percentage of the labour force.
Labour force participation3
The total labour force is expressed as a percentage of the working-age population. Because New Zealand has no compulsory retirement age and many workers stay in the labour force beyond 65, the figures include those aged 15 years and over with no upper limit. The total labour force is those people who meet the criteria for being employed or unemployed. A paid job of one hour a week or more is considered to be employed.
Table 1/Structure of the Labour Market - March 2011 quarter (seasonally adjusted)4
Statistics on employment 13
The only reliable national survey of outcomes for disabled people is the New Zealand Household Disability Survey conducted every five years. Although the New Zealand General Social Survey is described as a biennial survey of social and economic outcomes for all New Zealanders aged 15 and over, it does not provide disaggregated data for disabled people. Other more regular surveys, such as the Household Labour Force Survey, do not provide data on disabled people.
Table 31: Unemployment rate 2006, Disability Survey
Disabled
Non-Disabled
Male
5%
3%
Female
9%
5%
As with the total population there is a positive association with educational attainment and labour force participation. At every level of qualification, however, disabled people are less likely than non-disabled people to be in the workforce. The participation rate of disabled people with post school qualifications (76%) is about the same as that of non-disabled people with no qualifications.
The likelihood of being in the labour force is greater for some types of disability than others. People with a vision or hearing impairment are most likely to be in the labour force, while people with an intellectual impairment or experience of mental illness are the least likely.
Disability discrimination complaints
Complaints recorded under the ground of disability include permanent disabilities as well as temporary injuries or illnesses. The most commonly received type of complaint relates to the termination of employment (including the threat or perceived threat of termination) which the complainant believes is related to disability/injury/illness. Complaints relating to being declined roles were also high for people citing disability as a ground of complaint. Numbers of complaints relating to termination of employment have been steady over the last three years, while numbers of complaints relating to problems obtaining employment have dropped slightly in the last two years.
Table 32: Disability and employment complaints
| Disability complaints | Proportion of disability complaints | |
| Termination of employment | 166 | 26% |
| Declined role | 149 | 23% |
| Discrimination at work | 92 | 14% |
| Accommodation at work | 69 | 11% |
| Sick leave | 30 | 5% |
Discrimination complaints to the Human Rights Commission
The most commonly cited ground in employment or pre-employment complaints is disability, followed by sex, then race. The percentage of each of the grounds over the last five years is shown in Table 2 (totals do not add up to 100% because it is common for more than one ground to be cited).
Table 2/Employment discrimination complaints 2005-2010
| Overall | |
| Disability | 24.9% |
| Sex | 15.8% |
| Race | 14.9% |
| Ethnic or national origins | 12.6% |
| Sexual harassment | 12.4% |
| Age | 10.5% |
| Racial harassment | 7% |
| Family status | 6.1% |
| Religious belief | 4% |
| Sexual orientation | 2.4% |
| Marital status | 1.7% |
| Victimisation | 1.2% |
| Employment status | 1.1% |
| Colour | <1% |
| Ethical belief | <1% |
| Political opinion | <1% |
| Racial disharmony | <1% |