Bay of Plenty one of the most diverse labour markets in New Zealand, report finds

11 July 2007

The Bay of Plenty is one of the most diverse regions of New Zealand in terms of labour market performance, a new report released today by the Department of Labour finds.

“Bay of Plenty’s employment growth has been faster than the national average,” said Asher Nikora, Labour Market Knowledge Manager Bay of Plenty, Department of Labour. “Indications are that the eastern part of the Bay of Plenty is quite different to central and western. Growth in the labour force has been much stronger in the west, mainly because of population growth.

“Unemployment* rates in the west of the region were notably lower than in the east but for the region overall, the unemployment rate declined. Most of that decline has occurred since 2001, most significantly in the Kawerau and Opotiki districts. However, Kawerau district was the only territorial authority (TA) not to experience rising labour force participation rates between 2001 and 2006.”

The Annual In-Depth Regional Report for the Bay of Plenty Region describes in detail the characteristics of the Bay of Plenty regional labour market, the changes it has undergone and some key outcomes of these changes.

The report is one of 12 covering regions from Northland to Southland, which offer one of the first sub-regional presentations of data from Population Census 2006. Stakeholders, including strategy and policy makers and labour market participants, have said they want access to this information which gives a once-in-five-year snapshot of the labour market at a particularly fine breakdown.

“Information is based on the Bay of Plenty Regional Council boundaries and, where available, the constituent territorial authority boundaries of Tauranga city and Western Bay of Plenty, Rotorua, Whakatane, Kawerau and Opotiki districts,” Mr Nikora said.

“Across the region as a whole, the working-age population has become better qualified but it is difficult to compare the qualification attainment of the Bay of Plenty working-age population with the national average. There are some notable differences that together create a mixed picture, which is why it is good to be able to identify sub-regional statistics within this report and analyse the different layers that exist here.

“Employment growth has been in property and business services which grew by more than 3300 jobs between 2001 and 2006. Construction grew by more than 2400 jobs and retail trade by more than 2100 jobs.”

The annual reports combine both quantitative and qualitative market information. The data comes mainly from Population Census 2006, with some additional data from Statistics New Zealand surveys and labour market information from the Department of Labour. The qualitative information has been gathered at a regional level.

• Read the Annual In-Depth Regional Report for the Bay of Plenty Region
• Read the Annual In-Depth Regional Report for each region.

* Bay of Plenty’s unemployment rate declined from just under 10% at the time of the 2001 Census to about 6% in 2006. The majority of unemployment data in the Annual In-Depth Regional Reports comes from Population Census 2006 (at March 2006), which shows a national unemployment rate of 5.1%.

The Annual In-Depth Regional reports use Census of Population calculations of unemployment and other labour market variables, as estimates from this source are more robust for small areas, especially at the territorial authority level. Unemployment figures at a national and regional level are more generally sourced from the Household Labour Force Survey (HLFS), which shows an annual average national unemployment rate of 3.7% for the year ended March 2007.

The HLFS and the Census of Population both produce estimates of labour force statistics such as unemployment and labour force participation rates. Because these two sources are gathered differently, they can produce different estimates. The HLFS is the official measure of labour market information for New Zealand.

ENDS

Key Bay of Plenty population information:

In 2006 just over 257,000 people lived in the Bay of Plenty region, with 103,632 people living in Tauranga city in 2006, up 14% from 2001. The second most populous territorial authority was Rotorua district, with 65,898 residents, up 2.2% from 2001. The regional population grew by just under 18,000 people, or 7%, between 2001 and 2006. There is a relatively large Maori population, particularly in the east of the region – 26% of the regional population in 2006, compared with 14% nationally. The migrant population is relatively small. In 2006, 14% of the regional population was born overseas compared with 22% nationally.