Slight rise in filled jobs

See also:  National Employment Indicator: February 2012  –  Information release

The national employment indicator showed that the number of filled jobs held by wage and salary earners increased slightly in February 2012 (up 0.2 percent) compared with January 2012, Statistics New Zealand said today.

"After a small fall in January, the number of seasonally adjusted filled jobs held by wage and salary earners rose a little in February 2012," industry and labour statistics manager Diane Ramsay said.

Compared with February 2011, the number of seasonally adjusted filled jobs was up 1.3 percent in February 2012. This is the 22nd consecutive month of increase when compared with the same month of the previous year.

The national employment indicator is an experimental series that covers filled jobs held by people being paid a wage or salary during the month. It provides an early indication of change in the number of filled jobs at the national level. The focus should be on changes and movements between months, rather than the level of filled jobs.

The indicator complements other labour market statistics produced by Statistics NZ, including the Quarterly Employment Survey and the Household Labour Force Survey.