In this section we refer to young workers as those under 25, and have separated those under and over 20 years old where possible. We have defined older workers as those over 65, for the purpose of this analysis. Internationally, 55 years and over and sometimes 45 years and over constitute “older workers”.
Unemployment rates for young people, especially for those under 20 years old, are currently very high. These unemployment rates refer to those people who do not have a job, and are actively seeking work. Pacific youth, Māori and people from other ethnic minorities are much more likely to be unemployed than young Europeans. Tables 11 and 12 demonstrate the double disadvantage of age and ethnicity.
Participation rates reflect engagement in the labour force and many young people are participating in education, training or caregiving and so it is expected that the younger group (under 20 years) will have lower participation rates. The rate of young people who are disengaged from the labour market, that is, not in employment, education, training or caregiving (NEET) is of concern, and again is higher among Māori and Pacific youth. Young men have a slightly higher NEET rate than young women.
Workers over 65 years have a much lower participation rate than younger cohorts but the rate in New Zealand is high compared to other OECD countries and is increasing. Interestingly, Māori have the highest proportion of over 65 years in the workforce by ethnicity. Participation rates of younger “older” workers (i.e. 45 -55 years) are very high and unemployment low.
Employment Statistics
Table 11: Participation rate by age and ethnicity
| Ethnicity |
15-19 |
20-24 |
65 and over |
Total 15 and over |
| European |
54.6% |
80.7% |
18.1% |
69.8% |
| Māori |
45.4% |
69.7% |
20.2% |
66.4% |
| Pacific Peoples |
33.8% |
68.8% |
13.1% |
61.6% |
| Asian/MELAA/Other |
34.5% |
66.0% |
15.3% |
66.9% |
| Total |
48.5% |
75.9% |
17.8% |
68.5% |
Table 12: Unemployment rate by age and ethnicity
| Ethnicity |
15-19 |
20-24 |
65 and over |
Total 15 and over |
| European |
20.4% |
9.3% |
2.2% |
5.1% |
| Māori |
38.2% |
18.8% |
..S |
13.4% |
| Pacific Peoples |
40.9% |
17.2% |
..S |
13.6% |
| Asian/MELAA/Other |
33.5% |
12.2% |
..S |
8.5% |
| Total |
25.5% |
11.2% |
2.2% |
6.6% |
Table 13: Gender participation rate by age
| Gender |
15-19 |
20-24 |
65 and over |
Total 15 and over |
| Male |
48.6% |
80.2% |
23.5% |
74.9% |
| Female |
48.4% |
71.3% |
12.9% |
62.5% |
| Total |
48.5% |
75.9% |
17.8% |
68.5% |
Table 14: Gender unemployment rate by age
| Gender |
15-19 |
20-24 |
65 and over |
Total 15 and over |
| Male |
24.8% |
11.6% |
2.5% |
6.4% |
| Female |
26.3% |
10.8% |
..S |
6.8% |
| Total |
25.5% |
11.2% |
2.2% |
6.6% |
Table 15: Participation and unemployment of older workers
| Older workers |
Participation |
Unemployment |
| 45-49 |
87% |
4.0% |
| 50-54 |
86.3% |
3.8% |
| 55-59 |
81.4% |
3.7% |
| 60-64 |
70% |
3.3% |
| 65 |
17.8% |
2.2% |
