New Zealand’s demand for labour is still strong. The country’s unemployment rate fell from 3.6 to 3.4 percent in the September quarter - the lowest since the survey began in 1986 and the lowest in the developed world.

Statistics New Zealand says increasing numbers of people in full-time work drove employment growth.

The total labour force grew 21,000 over the quarter, while the number not in the labour force fell by 11,000.

Unemployment rates were lowest on the South Island.

By ethnicity, unemployment rates were: 2.2 percent for Europeans, 9.1 percent for Maori, 5.0 percent for Pacific peoples and 4.9 percent for “others”.