New Zealanders are joining the workforce earlier and continuing to work later in life, according to figures released by Stats NZ today.
"Compared with previous censuses, teenagers were more likely to be in the workforce in 2023," 2023 Census spokesperson Dr Rosemary Goodyear said.
"There was also a steady increase in employment for those aged 65 years and over."
Youth employment
In 2023, 65.7 percent of people aged 15 to 29 years were employed, up from 56.6 percent in 2013. Teenagers in the 15 to 19-year age group contributed the most to this increase.
Of all people aged 15 to 19 years, 45.1 percent were employed in full-time or part-time work in 2023, compared with 33.7 percent in 2013 and 40.7 percent in 2018.
"Employment increased across all ages between 2013 and 2018 as the labour market recovered from the Global Financial Crisis," Goodyear said.
"However, for teenagers there was another increase in employment between 2018 and 2023, leading to larger growth over the decade compared with other age groups.
"Other sources of labour market data, like Stats NZ's Household Labour Force Survey and administrative employment indicators, captured particularly strong employment for people aged 15 to 29 years across 2022 and 2023. This 2023 spike in employment for young people was likely linked to the low unemployment rate at the time, and the high unmet demand for labour following COVID-19 migration restrictions."
In 2023, Marlborough region had the highest proportion of 15 to 29-year-olds in the workforce at 75.0 percent. This was followed by Tasman region (71.2 percent) and Southland region (71.1 percent).
The agriculture, forestry, and fishing industry employed the most people in the Marlborough region - 13.9 percent of employed adults and 12.3 percent of employed people aged 15 to 29 years. Nationally, the agriculture, forestry, and fishing industry employed 5.1 percent of employed adults and 4.5 percent of employed people aged 15 to 29 years.
"Marlborough region is well known for its seasonal work opportunities, particularly in fruit picking and viticulture," Goodyear said.
"This type of work suits backpackers and young people who are looking for the opportunity to travel and gain new experiences."
Employment for those aged 65 years and over
In 2013, 22.1 percent of adults aged 65 years and over were employed in part-time or full-time work. This increased to 24.1 percent in the 10 years to the 2023 Census. This was driven by an increase in employment across all age groups for the population aged 65 years and over, with the largest increase being for people aged 70 to 74 years (up 2.8 percentage points from 2013).
"The proportion of older people in employment has been steadily increasing over time," Goodyear said.
"There are several factors which may be contributing to this trend, including better health, longer life expectancy, and financial pressures surrounding retirement."
In 2023, men aged 65 years and over were more likely to be part of the workforce than women (29.7 percent of men compared with 19.2 percent of women). However, this gender divide is narrowing over time. In the 10 years since the 2013 Census, the proportion of women aged 65 years and over that were employed increased at a higher rate than men (2.7 percentage points compared with 0.9 percentage points).
Older men were also more likely to be in full-time employment than older women (61.4 percent of employed men compared with 44.0 percent of employed women).
The proportion of employed adults aged 65 years and over showed little variation by region, with most regions clustered at 23 to 24 percent employment. Gisborne region had the highest proportion of employed adults aged 65 and over at 29.1 percent, while Nelson region was lowest at 19.8 percent.
Text alternative for Percentage of 15 to 29-year-olds in employment, by regional council, 2023 Census
Colour-coded heat map of New Zealand showing percentage of people aged 15 to 29 years in employment for each regional council. Five colour-coded categories group proportions from highest values in the darkest colour to lowest values in the lightest colour. Categories are 70.0 percent or more, 67.5 to 69.9 percent, 65.0 to 67.4 percent, 62.5 to 64.9 percent, and less than 62.5 percent.
In alphabetical order, the areas where employment was:
- 70.0 percent or over are Marlborough (75.0 percent), Southland (71.1 percent), and Tasman (71.2 percent)
- 67.5 to 69.9 percent are Canterbury (67.7 percent), Nelson (68.9 percent), Wellington (69.5 percent), and West Coast (68.5 percent)
- 65.0 to 67.4 percent are Bay of Plenty (65.2 percent), Hawke's Bay (66.4 percent), Manawatū-Whanganui (65.1 percent), Taranaki (67.0 percent), and Waikato (65.9 percent)
- 62.5 to 64.9 percent are Auckland (63.9 percent) and Otago (63.1 percent)
- less than 62.5 percent are Gisborne (60.3 percent) and Northland (60.8 percent).
