There are fears that hundreds of jobs are on the line as union bosses go into urgent meetings with several big businesses battling to survive.

The mortgage belt and taxpayers have been the main winners in a $5.7 billion rise in households' collective income.

As more people upgrade to smartphones there are growing fears that constant availability for work will destroy work-life balance.

Precarious work creates a group of people who are insecure in all senses - financial, self and social, writes Susan Guthrie and Gareth Morgan.

A teacher at one of New Zealand's most prestigious private boarding schools was sacked after a disagreement over grades descended into an drawn-out dispute.

Prices would have to go up by 6 to 8 per cent to pay a "living wage" of $18.40 an hour to workers in the lowest-paid sectors - hospitality and retailing.

A deer farm worker who was dismissed after more than 20 animals died from disease has been awarded more than $12,000.

The Mainzeal receivership highlights once again the poor governance of the Richina Pacific group of companies.

Many of Mainzeal's workforce of 400 staff learned about the collapse of the company on Waitangi Day through the media.

Very weak jobs data from Statistics New Zealand yesterday raised economists' eyebrows.

New Zealand's unemployment rate fell from a 13-year high in the last three months of 2012 as people stopped looking for work and the participation rate shrank.

Employment growth is moderate and wage inflation subdued, payrolls data for the December quarter suggest.

Almost two-thirds of the New Zealand workforce is looking for a new job in 2013.

Long-serving Solid Energy chief executive Don Elder has joined the exodus from the top of the state-owned enterprise, his departure welcomed on the West Coast.

Alcohol company Independent Liquor sacked an employee over allegations of drunken misbehaviour at a Fight For Life charity boxing match it sponsored.

Salaries in high-demand industries are expected to rise by as much as $20,000 a year as New Zealand's talent pool dries up.

New Zealand Post will not rule out further cuts to mail services and Post Shops after outlining plans to move to three-day-a-week letter deliveries.

The latest tax figures offer some hope that the labour market is not quite as grim as official statistics portray.

Prime Minister John Key wants New Zealand to be a "magnet for investment" but his Government faces a big sales job to persuade New Zealanders that "foreign" investors and "big business" should be embraced.

A South African who faked work references and lied about his qualifications and experience has won $10,000 compensation for unjustified dismissal.

John Key says Hollywood finds New Zealand more attractive than other countries because it does not have a strong union movement.