Employer Bulletins

Holidays Act event with the EMA Last week we sent you an invitation to attend the EMA’s event with the Hon. Brooke Van Velden on the upcoming changes to the Holidays Act. Unfortunately, the EMA’s event system experienced an unusual problem with registrations, preventing you from attending online like we encouraged you to do. We want to apologise for sharing an invitation that you could not use, and for any frustration that not being able to register caused. We look forward

Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says it is important employees are not rewarded in the personal grievance system for poor behaviour or performance and is introducing changes to personal grievances to strengthen employee accountability. “Simplifying personal grievances is a policy ACT campaigned on, in particular, removing the eligibility for remedies if the employee is at fault and is an ACT-National Coalition Agreement commitment. These changes will

Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says an upcoming change to the Employment Relations Act will enable employers to ensure they have the right fit for their high impact leadership and specialist roles. Cabinet has agreed to introduce an income threshold of $180,000 per annum for unjustified dismissal personal grievances, meaning employees earning above that will be unable to raise an unjustified dismissal claim. This policy delivers on the ACT-National

Regulation Minister David Seymour has announced the next steps in the Government’s plan to improve the quality of regulation by opening consultation on a proposed Regulatory Standards Bill. “New Zealand's low wages can be blamed on low productivity, and low productivity can be blamed on poor regulation,” says Mr Seymour. “To lift productivity and wages, ACT’s coalition agreement includes a commitment to pass a Regulatory Standards Act. “The Bill will codify principles of goo

New Zealand had a net migration gain of 44,900 in the September 2024 year, according to provisional estimates released by Stats NZ. “Annual net migration gains have continued falling from the provisional peak of 136,300 in the October 2023 year,” international migration statistics manager Sarah Drake said. “The fall in net migration reflects that arrivals are down, and departures are up.” There were 177,900 migrant arrivals in the September 2024 year, which is still high by h

Unemployment continues to grow, with more people remaining unemployed for longer periods and a declining employment rate, while wage growth slows, according to figures released by Stats NZ. In the September 2024 quarter: Unemployment rate was 4.8 percent Employment rate was 67.8 percent Annual wage inflation was 3.8 percent Average ordinary time hourly earnings were $41.98 Download the bulletin:

Averaged out across all industries, in September 2024 there was no seasonally adjusted change in the 2.36 million filled jobs in New Zealand (compared with the August 2024 month). Specifically, primary industries were down 0.8 percent (872 jobs) and goods-producing industries were down 0.2 percent (759 jobs). Service industries were up 0.1 percent (2,711 jobs). Filled jobs were 2.35 million – down 20,839 (0.9 percent) – compared with September 2023. The regions of New Zealand

The Government is ensuring New Zealand attracts and retains the workers and skills it needs by returning open work rights to partners of high-skilled migrants. “We are committed to growing the economy and our immigration system is critical to that. From 2 December, open work rights will be available to partners of Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) holders working in higher-skilled roles who earn at least 80% of the median wage,” Immigration Minister Erica Stanford says. Th

New Zealand’s consumers price index increased 2.2 percent in the September 2024 quarter, compared with the September 2023 quarter, according to figures released by Stats NZ. The 2.2 percent annual increase follows a 3.3 percent annual increase in the June 2024 quarter. “For the first time since March 2021, annual inflation is within the Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s target band of 1 to 3 percent. Prices are still rising, but not as much as previously recorded,” consumer price

Investment in Apprenticeship Boost will prioritise critical industries and targeted occupations that are essential to addressing New Zealand’s skills shortages and rebuilding the economy, Tertiary Education and Skills Minister Penny Simmonds and Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston say. “By focusing Apprenticeship Boost on first-year apprentices in targeted occupations, we are providing employers in critical industries with the certainty to hire and retain

The launch of a new data tool will provide Kiwis with better access to important data, Statistics Minister Andrew Bayly says. “To grow our economy and improve productivity we must adopt smarter ways of working, which means taking a more data driven approach to decision-making. “As Statistics Minister one of my key ambitions is to make data more accessible for the general public and business owners, who might not have big budgets for market research but could benefit from the

Injury statistics for work-related claims give information about claims accepted by ACC for work-related injuries. A total of 226,600 work-related injury claims were made in 2023 (up 1,200 from 2022). The incidence rate for claims related to work-related injuries was 86 claims per 1,000 full-time equivalent employees (FTEs) in 2023. This is the lowest rate since the start of the series in 2002. The manufacturing; agriculture, forestry, and fishing; and construction industries

Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden says upcoming changes to the Employment Relations Act will provide greater certainty for contractors and businesses. "The coalition Government has agreed to amending the Employment Relations Act to provide a gateway test that businesses can use when responding to a claim that a person is an employee and not a contractor,” says Ms van Velden. “If the working arrangement in question meets the four factors set out in the

Inland Revenue can begin processing GST returns for businesses affected by a historic legislative drafting error, Revenue Minister Simon Watts says. “Inland Revenue has become aware of a legislative drafting error in the GST adjustment rules after changes were made in 2023 which were meant to simplify the process. This error prevents taxpayers who acquired an asset before April 2023 from using the simplified one-step adjustment calculation when there was a permanent change of

Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety Brooke van Velden says Cabinet reached another milestone on fixing the Holidays Act with approval of the consultation exposure draft of the Bill ready for release next week to participants. “This Government will improve the Holidays Act with the help of businesses, workers, and payroll providers,” says Ms van Velden. “I want to ensure that business owners and workers can focus on what they do best, rather than spending valuable tim

Quarterly linked employer-employee data (LEED) provides statistics on filled jobs, job flows, worker flows, mean and median earnings for continuing jobs and new hires, and total earnings. ‘Filled jobs’ in linked employer-employee data (LEED) is defined as the number of jobs on the 15th day of the middle month of the reference quarter. There is no distinction between full-time or part-time jobs. This release contains actual data and compares data for the June 2023 quarter wit

The coalition Government is providing immediate relief to employers with upcoming seasonal peaks by creating a new subcategory of the Specific Purpose Work Visa (SPWV). “We know in the coming months a number of sectors will need a significant number of additional workers to undertake key seasonal roles,” Immigration Minister Erica Stanford says. “Alongside the changes to the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme, we’re also making it easier for employers to access other e

The coalition Government is supporting the growth of New Zealand’s horticulture and viticulture industries, by revitalising the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) Scheme and increasing the cap on the number of workers to 20,750 for the 2024/25 season. “Our Government is committed to increasing the number of RSE workers over time in line with industry demand, while balancing the availability of New Zealanders and accommodation for workers,” Immigration Minister Erica Stanford

Labour market statistics provide a picture of the New Zealand labour market, including unemployment and employment rates, demand for labour, and changes in wages and salaries. In the June 2024 quarter, compared with the March 2024 quarter, the: Unemployment rate was 4.6 percent, compared with 4.4 percent Underutilisation rate was 11.8 percent, up from 11.2 percent Employment rate remained at 68.4 percent. In the year to the June 2024 quarter: All salary and wage rates (includ

The cost of living for the average New Zealand household increased 5.4 percent in the 12 months to the June 2024 quarter, according to figures released by Stats NZ. The 5.4 percent increase, measured by the household living-costs price indexes (HLPIs), follows a 6.2 percent increase in the 12 months to the March 2024 quarter. The most recent high was 8.2 percent recorded in the 12 months to the December 2022 quarter. Meanwhile, inflation – as measured by the consumers price i