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Effects of COVID-19 on trade: 1 February–29 July 2020 (provisional)

5 August 2020

Effects of COVID-19 on trade is a weekly update on New Zealand’s daily goods trade with the world from 1 February 2020. Comparing the values with previous years shows the potential impacts of COVID-19.

The data is provisional and should be regarded as an early, indicative estimate of intentions to trade only, subject to revision.

We advise caution in making decisions based on this data.

Note: The large increase in the total import value on 26 June 2020 was due to the arrival of a new vessel for the Royal New Zealand Navy.

More data
Stats NZ COVID-19 portal presents the data in graphical format.

Definitions and metadata
Overseas merchandise trade weekly series – Datainfo+ provides the methodology used, and information on the quality and limitations of the dataset.

COVID-19 slows wage growth despite minimum wage increase – Media release

5 August 2020

The labour cost index (LCI) salary and wage rates (including overtime) rose 0.2 percent in the June 2020 quarter, the lowest quarterly increase since December 1994, Stats NZ said today.

“The government raised the minimum wage from $17.70 to $18.90 an hour on 1 April, but the overall LCI rose only 0.2 percent over the June 2020 quarter, as efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 saw a drop in revenue for many businesses,” prices senior manager Aaron Beck said.

The LCI was up 2.1 percent for the year to the June 2020 quarter.

“Without an increase in the minimum wage in the June 2020 quarter, the headline LCI all salary and wage rates would’ve been flat over the quarter, and 1.8 percent over the year,” Mr Beck said.

Text alternative for diagram Labour cost index (all salary and wage rates) excluding minimum wage effect and collective agreements effect

The main industries driving the increase in the LCI in the June quarter were among those typically impacted by the increase in minimum wage – retail trade (up 1.0 percent) and accommodation and food services (up 1.7 percent). This was partly offset by falling wages in the information, media, and telecommunications (down 2.3 percent), and construction (down 0.5 percent) industries. Firms in these industries reported reduced pay to employees by the LCI reference date of 15 May 2020.

Two percent of salary and wage rates (excluding overtime) decreased compared with this time last year, the highest proportion of decreases annually since March 1993.

“Around two thirds of the pay drops recorded this quarter were between 10-20 percent, as some employers faced difficulties providing full pay,” Mr Beck said.

Annual labour cost index

Annually, the LCI increased 2.1 percent, down from 2.5 percent last quarter. Wage inflation in the public sector increased 3.0 percent to the year to the June 2020 quarter, down from 3.2 percent in the previous quarter, on the back of several quarters driven by collective employment agreements in the healthcare and social assistance, and education and training industries. Private sector wage inflation increased by 1.7 percent over the year to the June 2020 quarter, slowing down from 2.4 percent last quarter.  

The LCI salary and wage rates measures movements in wages for a fixed quantity and quality of labour. This means that changes in pay rates due to the performance of employees or promotions are not shown in the index. COVID-19 impacts on salary and wage rates in the June 2020 quarter were more often reported as a quantity changes (for example, changes in hours or responsibilities), which is not shown in the index. Changes in pay rates for employees were shown in the LCI only if the same job was completed to the same standard – both quality and quantity of labour was unchanged.

The unadjusted LCI on the other hand, takes into account quality (but not quantity) factors that make it more comparable with the earnings measures in the quarterly employment survey (QES). In the year to the June 2020 quarter, the unadjusted LCI increased 3.1 percent, and the QES average ordinary time hourly earnings increased to $33.33, up 3.0 percent.

The annual increase in average ordinary time hourly earnings was in part a result of the minimum wage and collective pay agreement increases that also impacted the LCI.

In addition, lower paid industries such as retail trade and accommodation and food services experienced a drop in paid hours during lockdown, while higher paid industries like public administration and safety, and healthcare and social assistance were less impacted. This drove up average ordinary time hourly earnings at the national level.

Weekly earnings drop sharply

In the June 2020 quarter, average weekly hours paid per full-time equivalent employee (FTE) (seasonally adjusted) fell 3.1 percent to 37.4 hours. This fall in weekly hours paid led to a 2.4 percent drop in seasonally adjusted weekly earnings per FTE over the quarter to $1,250 – the largest quarterly drop since the current series began in 1989.

COVID-19 wage subsidy scheme

In March 2020 the Government announced a COVID-19 wage subsidy scheme to support businesses affected by the crisis. For the June 2020 quarter, both the LCI and QES included the wage subsidy as part of reported wages.

Stats NZ combined administrative data from the Ministry of Social Development with survey data to estimate the impact of the wage subsidy. However, we strongly advise caution when making decisions based on these figures as they are only indicative estimates.

Around 30 percent of gross pay in the June 2020 quarter, as measured by the QES, came from the Government’s COVID-19 wage subsidy. If funds received from the wage subsidy were removed, and no other changes occurred, average weekly pay per FTE (unadjusted) would have been $853 instead of $1,249.

Approximately 77 percent of the QES sample of businesses were identified as having had applied for and received the wage subsidy by 20 May 2020. Small businesses were most likely to be represented. Approximately:

• 85 percent of small businesses (1-19 employees, all locations) received the wage subsidy
• 78 percent of medium-sized businesses (20-99 employees) received the wage subsidy
• 58 percent of large businesses (100+ employees) received the wage subsidy.

In the LCI, we identified approximately 70 percent of employers who received the wage subsidy by 15 May 2020.

COVID-19 and labour market statistics in the June 2020 quarter has more information on how COVID-19 impacted Stats NZ labour market statistics this quarter.

COVID-19 data portal has more information on NZ’s economy since the COVID-19 outbreak.

Text alternative for diagram Labour cost index (all salary and wage rates) excluding minimum wage effect and collective agreements effect

Diagram shows the published labour cost index figures for the June 2020 quarter. For all sectors combined, the published quarterly rate was 0.2%, annual was 2.1%. For the private sector, the quarterly rate was 0.2%, annual was 1.8%. For the public sector, the quarterly rate was 0.3%, annual was 3.0%.  

Excluding minimum wage impact, for all sectors combined, the quarterly rate was 0.0%, annual was 1.8%. Private sector quarterly rate was 0.0%, annual was 1.5%. Public sector quarterly rate was 0.3%, annual was 3.0%.

Excluding selected occupations that saw major collective employment agreements in the last year – such as nurses, teachers, principals and police, for all sectors combined, the quarterly rate was 0.2%, annual was 1.8%. Private sector quarterly rate was 0.2%, annual was 1.7%. Public sector quarterly rate was 0.2%, annual was 2.1%.

Excluding minimum wage and selected occupations, for all sectors combined, the quarterly rate was 0.0%, annual was 1.6%. Private sector quarterly rate was 0.0%, annual was 1.4%. Public sector quarterly rate was 0.2%, annual was 2.1%.

Note:

1. This is an analytical measure and not an official Stats NZ output.
2. Selected occupations refer to occupations affected by major pay settlements over the past year.
3. Due to rounding, some figures may be different than the published tables.

COVID-19 slows labour market activity – Media release

5 August 2020

About 650,000 people were away from their job, working fewer hours or less than they wanted, or were otherwise less active in the labour market in the June 2020 quarter due to reasons related to COVID-19 such as sickness or lockdown, Stats NZ said today.

Of these, 35,700 people without jobs in the June 2020 quarter said they left their last job for COVID-19-related reasons. This is higher than the total reduction in employment over the quarter because some people also gained a job over the period.

“One of the key reasons we talk to individuals about their labour market activity is to ask them ‘why’ – why jobless people left their last job, why they weren’t looking for a new one, or why employed people were working fewer or no hours,” labour market manager Andrew Neal said.

“In the June 2020 quarter, we knew the answer to many of these questions was likely to involve COVID-19 or lockdown, so we added another response to some questions.”

Survey respondents were able to report that COVID-19 and/or lockdown was their main reason for:

• not wanting a job
• not looking for work
• not being available for work
• leaving their last job
• not being at work last week
• working fewer hours than usual, and/or
• working fewer hours than they would like.

‘
“This has let us separate out people who were participating less because of COVID-19 and lockdown directly from those with other reasons, like childcare responsibilities or reduced work,” Mr Neal said.

“The lockdown may have contributed to some of these other reasons but COVID-19 itself wasn’t cited as the main reason.”

COVID-19 extended unemployment rate rises to 4.6 percent

The COVID-19 extended unemployment rate covers both official unemployed and those who did not meet the classification for official unemployment reasons related to COVID-19.

To be categorised as unemployed, a person must:

• not have a job,
• be available to start work, and
• have been actively seeking work in the last four weeks or be due to start a new job in the next four weeks.

In the June 2020 quarter, 20,200 people were not working and said COVID-19-related reasons meant they were not looking or were not available to work but were otherwise meeting the requirements for being classified as unemployed. This meant they were not in the labour force but may have been counted as unemployed in the absence of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions.

If so, this would have increased the number of unemployed people from 108,200 to 128,500, and the official unemployment rate from 3.9 percent to a COVID-19 extended rate of 4.6 percent (not seasonally adjusted).

Another 2,700 people who were not in the labour force said they did not want a job at all, for COVID-19-related reasons.

Since responses are collected in the household labour force survey every week throughout the quarter, Stats NZ can study how unemployment changes within a quarter. This weekly unemployment rate is a volatile measure that Stats NZ does not usually publish, since each week is made up of only a fraction of the survey’s sample. This small sample can lead to imprecise estimates with a high level of uncertainty, but it can also help analysts understand quickly changing environments.

The estimates and sample errors behind the weekly unemployment rates are available in the table with Text alternative for graph Unemployment rate and extended unemployment rate by reference week, June 2020 quarter. It should be noted that the sample errors for early and late weeks in the quarter were over half of the rate estimates. In other words, the actual rate may be as low as half the stated rate or half as big again.

This quarter, unemployment rates steadily rose across weeks as New Zealand relaxed COVID-19 prevention measures, moving from full lockdown in alert level 4, to largely normal work conditions in alert level 1.

Text alternative for graph Unemployment rate and extended unemployment rate by reference week, June 2020 quarter.

Adding in extended unemployment related to COVID-19 shows that our reported unemployment rate might have been higher earlier on if people were available and able to actively look for work during the most strict COVID-19 restrictions, but that these differences narrowed in alert level 2 and all but disappeared by alert level 1. However, it should also be noted that, within alert level 1, these shifts may reflect changing collection methods or increased targeting of low-response groups rates, as well as real world changes.

For the weeks in the June 2020 quarter that were mostly in alert level 1 (weeks 10 through 13), the average unemployment rate was 4.9 percent, and the extended unemployment rate was 5.2 percent.

People working less because of COVID-19

Of the 651,800 people who said that COVID-19 or lockdown were the main basis for participating less in the labour market, 585,900 were employed people who were away from a job, working fewer hours than usual, or working less than they wanted.

In total, 894,500 employed people worked fewer hours than usual at their main job in the June 2020 quarter, almost 40 percent of whom were on zero hours.

Over half of those who gave a reason for their reduction in hours pointed to COVID-19, with holidays and lack of work available the next most common reasons.

The industry with the biggest absolute fall in total hours worked, compared with the June 2019 quarter, was retail trade and accommodation and food services. This was followed by the professional, scientific, technical, administrative, and support services; construction; and education and training industries.

Text alternative for graph Unemployment rate and extended unemployment rate by reference week, June 2020 quarter

Line graph shows unemployment rate plus those not unemployed because of COVID-19, and unemployment rate. The table below shows the data behind the graph, including sample errors.

COVID-19 lockdown has widespread effects on labour market – Media release

5 August 2020

In the June 2020 quarter, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 4.0 percent, down from 4.2 percent last quarter, while underutilisation rose, Stats NZ said today.

In the June 2020 quarter:

• unemployment rate fell to 4.0 percent
• underutilisation rate rose to 12.0 percent
• hours worked fell a record 10.3 percent
• the number of people not in the labour force rose 37,000
• the number of employed people fell 11,000
• the wage subsidy scheme was in place from 17 March 2020.

With the country in COVID-19 lockdown when the quarter began, fewer people who did not have a job were actively seeking work. People who were not actively seeking work were not counted as unemployed, resulting in a fall in the unemployment rate. However, many of these people were captured as underutilised.

“Underutilisation – a broader measure of spare capacity in the labour market – and hours worked provide a more detailed picture of New Zealand’s labour market than the unemployment rate alone. This quarter, underutilisation rose from 10.4 percent to 12.0 percent – the largest quarterly rise since the series began, while hours worked were down by over 10 percent – another record,” labour market and household statistics senior manager Sean Broughton said.

Unemployment requires active search for work

To be counted as unemployed, a person must have been actively seeking work in the last four weeks or be due to start a new job in the next four weeks. Actively seeking work means going beyond browsing job vacancies. It means the person is going beyond browsing, for example, by applying for jobs (by submitting their CV) or contacting employers.

The number of officially unemployed people varies from the number of Jobseeker Support recipients published by the Ministry of Social Development due to definitional differences.

“At the end of June, there were around 39,000 more recipients of Jobseeker Support than at the end of March, but Jobseeker Support recipients are not necessarily unemployed,” Mr Broughton said.

“Some people who receive Jobseeker Support might work part-time and are therefore employed. Other recipients will not have work obligations. If these people are not actively seeking work or were not available to start work had a job been available, they will be counted as not in the labour force.”

Unemployment rate higher during alert level 1

The official unemployment rate of 4.0 percent is an average across the 13 weeks in the June 2020 quarter. Stats NZ does not typically publish the unemployment rate for shorter periods than a quarter, such as monthly or weekly, as these measures are subject to a greater level of variability and uncertainty. However, they can help us understand quickly changing environments, such as COVID-19 alert levels.

As the quarter progressed, and New Zealand moved through COVID-19 alert levels, the unemployment rate rose. In the earlier weeks of the quarter, when the country was in alert level 4, the unemployment rate was slightly less than three percent. Towards the end of the quarter, when alert level 1 was in place, the unemployment rate rose to nearly five percent. These rates have not been seasonally adjusted.

“During the June 2020 quarter, some people weren’t actively seeking work due to the COVID-19 lockdown. Near the end of the quarter, the unemployment rate may have increased because more people sought work as New Zealand moved down the alert levels and restrictions were eased,” Mr Broughton said.

Underutilisation rises

The seasonally adjusted underutilisation rate rose to 12.0 percent this quarter, up from 10.4 percent last quarter. This was the largest quarterly rise since the series began in 2004.

Text alternative for diagram Total underutilisation, June 2020 quarter, seasonally adjusted.

In addition to looking at people who are unemployed, underutilisation also includes three other groups of people in the labour market:

• underemployed – those who are employed part time (working fewer than 30 hours a week) and have both the desire and availability to increase the number of hours they work
• available potential jobseekers – people who would like a job but are not currently actively seeking one; for example, a university student who has just graduated and wants a job but is not actively applying for one yet
• unavailable jobseekers – people who are currently looking for a job but are not available to start quite yet; for example, a mother who has recently been looking after a child and in the next month will be able to start working again.

Available potential jobseekers and unavailable jobseekers make up the potential labour force. These people are not in the labour force.

This quarter, the number of unemployed people fell. At the same time, the number of underemployed people rose by 33,000 and available potential jobseekers rose by 18,900.

“Many businesses were faced with financial pressure because of temporary COVID-19 related closures. They may have cut workers’ hours of pay in response and only ended their employment as a last resort,” Mr Broughton said.

“This reduction in hours could have been one factor for the rise in underemployment this quarter.”

Record falls in hours

The number of hours worked fell sharply in the June 2020 quarter.

Actual hours and usual hours are collected in the household labour force survey (HLFS). Usual hours are the hours someone would work in a typical week or the average of the last four if they have no ‘usual’ hours. Actual hours are the hours someone actually worked in the previous week.

The total number of hours actually worked in the June 2020 quarter fell 9.3 million hours (10.3 percent) compared with last quarter and decreased 8.2 million hours (9.1 percent) compared with a year ago. These were the largest decreases recorded since the series began in 1986.

Paid hours, as collected in the quarterly employment survey (QES), measure the hours a business paid for, whether their employees were working or on paid leave. Paid hours fell by 3.4 percent over the June 2020 quarter, down to 60.6 million hours (seasonally adjusted). This was the largest quarterly fall in hours paid since the current series began in 1989. The annual decrease (down 1.9 percent) was the largest annual decrease since the December 2009 quarter.

As a result of this fall in paid hours, weekly hours per full-time equivalent (FTE) fell by 3.1 percent over the quarter to 37.4, the lowest level since the current series began in 1989.

Slight fall in employment and jobs

The employment rate fell to 66.9 percent in the June 2020 quarter, down from 67.5 percent last quarter. This reflected a fall in the number of people employed (down 11,000) and a rise in the working-age population (up 20,000).

The fall in the number of people in employment and unemployment this quarter resulted in the labour force participation rate falling to 69.7 percent, down from 70.5 percent (revised) last quarter.

The number of people not in the labour force rose (up 37,000) this quarter, while the number of people in the labour force fell (down 17,000). This was the largest fall in the number of people in the labour force recorded since the global financial crisis.

Filled jobs, as measured by the QES, fell 10,800 in the June 2020 quarter to 1,989,400.

Differences between the filled jobs in the QES and employment numbers in the HLFS can largely be explained by differences in survey coverage. The QES excludes a number of industries, including agriculture, and those who are self-employed without employees, to better fit international standards. Conversely, the HLFS only includes usually resident New Zealanders, so can exclude some temporary seasonal labourers.

The wage subsidy scheme was in place throughout the June 2020 quarter. Over three-quarters (77 percent) of businesses surveyed in the QES had received a wage subsidy.

The monthly Employment indicators: June 2020 (MEI) provided an early gauge on employment this quarter. These showed a substantial fall in the number of filled jobs in April, followed by recovery in May and June. When averaged to create a quarterly measure, the MEI indicates that the seasonally adjusted number of filled jobs fell by 20,131 between the March and June 2020 quarters.

Labour force status classifications unchanged in response to COVID-19

Stats NZ adheres to best practice and required standards set by the International Labour Organization (ILO). These standards have not been changed in response to COVID-19 to ensure international comparability and consistency of estimates.

COVID-19 alert system and key events timeline

17 March 2020: Wage subsidy scheme announced and in place

23 March 2020: New Zealand entered COVID-19 alert level 3

25 March 2020: New Zealand entered COVID-19 alert level 4

27 April 2020:  New Zealand entered COVID-19 alert level 3

13 May 2020:  New Zealand entered COVID-19 alert level 2

14 May 2020: Extended wage subsidy scheme announced

8 June 2020: New Zealand entered COVID-19 alert level 1

10 June 2020: Extended wage subsidy scheme in place

1 September 2020: Applications for the extended wage subsidy scheme to close

Text alternative for labour market summary, June 2020 quarter, seasonally adjusted diagram.

Text alternatives

Text alternative for total underutilisation, June 2020 quarter, seasonally adjusted diagram

Diagram shows data from June 2020 quarter’s household labour force survey (HLFS).

The underutilisation rate was 12.0%, up 1.6pp (percentage points). This rate is derived from total underutilised divided by the extended labour force. The unemployment rate was 4.0%, down 0.2pp. This is derived from unemployed divided by labour force.

Total underutilised was up 45,000, to 346,000. Underemployed was up 33,000 to 125,000. Unemployed was down 6,000 to 111,000. The potential labour force was up 18,000 to 111,000.

Within the potential labour force, available potential jobseekers were up 18,900 to 92,400 and unavailable jobseekers remained at 18,000.

Text alternative for labour market summary, June 2020 quarter, seasonally adjusted diagram

Diagram shows data from June 2020 quarter’s household labour force survey (HLFS), quarterly employment survey (QES), and labour cost index (LCI).

HLFS results for the June 2020 quarter showed the labour force participation rate was 69.7%, down 0.8pp (percentage points). This rate is derived from labour force divided by working-age population. The employment rate was 66.9%, down 0.6pp. This is derived from employed divided by working-age population. The unemployment rate was 4.0%, down 0.2pp. This is derived from unemployed divided by labour force.

The underutilisation rate was 12.0%, up 1.6pp. This is derived from total underutilised divided by extended labour force. The working-age population was up 20,000 to 3,984,000. This is made up of the labour force, down 17,000 to 2,776,000, and people not in the labour force, up 37,000 to 1,207,000. The labour force is made up of employed people, down 11,000 to 2,665,000, and those unemployed, down 6,000 to 111,000.

Average ordinary time hourly earnings from the QES were up 3.0% annually, to $33.33.

Annual wage inflation from the LCI was 2.1%, for all industries and occupations combined.

Filled jobs from the QES were down 0.5% for the quarter, to 1,989,000.

Notes:

1. Household labour force survey data, unless otherwise stated.
2. Data, including rates, is seasonally adjusted, excluding average ordinary time hourly earnings and annual wage inflation.
3. Due to rounding, changes do not always sum to the published totals.

Additional table added to Agricultural production statistics: June 2019 (final)

31 July 2020

Today we added the Excel file ‘Agricultural production statistics: June 2019 (final) – farm practices’, to Agricultural production statistics: June 2019 (final).

Townhouses boost home consents in June – Media release

30 July 2020

The number of new homes consented in June 2020 was 3,477, around 20 percent more compared with June 2019, Stats NZ said today.

This rise was boosted by a record 1,071 new townhouses, flats, and units consented in June 2020, the first time more than 1,000 of these homes had been consented in a month since the series began in April 1990. This brought the number of new homes consented in the June 2020 quarter to 9,213, of which 2,620 were townhouses, flats, and units.

"Townhouses, flats, and units accounted for around 28 percent of all new homes consented in the June 2020 quarter, reflecting greater density in some of our cities like Auckland,” acting construction indicators manager Dave Adair said.

COVID-19 impact on building consents issued

“An initial fall in the number of new homes consented occurred in April, which was during the alert level 4 lockdown when all non-essential businesses were closed. This was followed by a high number of consents in May and June,” Mr Adair said.

“Currently there is more uncertainty around building consent numbers due to COVID-19 and its wide-ranging implications. This includes disruptions to councils and their ability to issue consents, particularly during the lockdown.

"Although many new homes are built within a year of gaining consent, the current levels of uncertainty mean we will have to wait before any changes to the actual supply of homes are noticeable, including insights into completion rates."

More information on the impact COVID-19 may have had on the construction industry will be provided by ‘Value of building work put in place’ results in the coming quarters. This series measures work actually completed, rather than consents which indicate an intention to build. The data may include insights into delays, cancellations, and the total value of work put in place.

Estimated number of new homes consented per 1,000 residents up in June year – Media release

30 July 2020

About 7.6 new homes per 1,000 residents were consented in the year ended June 2020, Stats NZ said today.

This is up from 7.1 new homes per 1,000 residents in the year ended June 2019, partly driven by Auckland, where the number rose from 8.5 in the June 2019 year to 9 in the June 2020 year.

“Provisional estimates on the number of new homes consented per 1,000 residents help us account for changes in our population, allowing us to better compare the intended supply of new homes over time,” acting construction indicators manager Dave Adair said.

The estimates show that New Zealand councils are issuing around half the building consents of the peak in the December 1973 year, when about 13.4 new homes were consented per 1,000 residents. A low point of three was reached in the July 2011 year.

 “Although the number of new homes consented now is not as high as in the early 1970s, many things have changed since then, including an increase in the average size of homes,” Mr. Adair said.

Current levels are greater than the series median of 6.2 new homes consented per 1,000 residents, beginning around the June 2016 year, following a low period of nearly nine years (late 2007–mid-2016).

From 30 September 2020, Stats NZ will release data each month on the estimated number of new homes consented per 1,000 residents. These series will be at the following levels:

• national
• regional
• territorial authority area
• Auckland local board.

Stats NZ welcomes your feedback on:

• how useful this information is to you
• what you might use these estimates for
• what other information you’d like included
• what enhancements would make these estimates most useful
• any suggestions for improvement.

To send your feedback or if you have a technical enquiry, please contact Dave Adair at dave.adair@stats.govt.nz or Adriaan Lotter at adriaan.lotter@stats.govt.nz.

Download the data below for number of new dwellings consented per 1,000 residents by region, for the period 1996–2020.

Employment indicators: Paid jobs week ended 28 June 2020

30 July 2020

Key facts

This series counts the number of unique employer-employee relationships present in payday filing 6, 13, and 27 days after the end of the reference week. These counts are published as they are, and no work has been done to adjust for seasonality or data flow issues.

Latest week

For the week ended 28 June 2020 the most accurate measure, number of paid jobs – 27 days, indicated the numbers of paid jobs (compared with the previous week) were:

• 2,188,510 total paid jobs (down 10,100 or 0.46 percent)
• 96,200 paid jobs in primary industries (down 310 or 0.32 percent)
• 409,820 paid jobs in goods-producing industries (down 1,090 or 0.27 percent)
• 1,629,960 in services industries (down 9,600 or 0.59 percent).

Note: Not all enterprises can be matched to an industry, so total paid jobs can differ from the sum of paid jobs of the three industries.

More data

See Stats NZ COVID-19 portal to see the data in graphical format.

For technical enquiries contact: Jasmine Ludwig, Wellington, 04 931 4592, info@stats.govt.nz
For media enquiries contact: James Weir, Wellington, 021 285 9191, communications@stats.govt.nz

The Government Statistician authorises all statistics and data we publish.

For more information about these statistics:

• Visit Employment indicators: Paid jobs week ended 28 June 2020
• See CSV files for download

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Effects of COVID-19 on trade: 1 February–22 July 2020 (provisional)

29 July 2020

Effects of COVID-19 on trade is a weekly update on New Zealand’s daily goods trade with the world from 1 February 2020. Comparing the values with previous years shows the potential impacts of COVID-19.

The data is provisional and should be regarded as an early, indicative estimate of intentions to trade only, subject to revision.

We advise caution in making decisions based on this data.

Note: The large increase in the total import value on 26 June 2020 is due to the arrival of a new vessel for the Royal New Zealand Navy.

More data
Stats NZ COVID-19 portal presents the data in graphical format.

Definitions and metadata
Overseas merchandise trade weekly series – Datainfo+ provides the methodology used, and information on the quality and limitations of the dataset.