New Zealanders are slightly less optimistic about the state of the labour market, with increased concern about job security and opportunities, according to the latest Westpac McDermott Miller employment confidence survey.
The index fell 2.8 points to 109.9 in the March quarter, while present conditions slipped 2.9 points to 109.4. Employment expectations fell 2.7 points to 110.3. A reading above 100 indicates more optimists outweigh pessimists.
Expected job opportunities, meanwhile, fell 4.6 points to -9.5 per cent while current job opportunities fell 6.4 points to -11.5 per cent. People were also less confident about their job security at a net 10.7 per cent compared to 14.9 per cent in the December quarter.
However, despite "increased concern around job opportunities, expectations for earnings growth remain resilient," said Westpac Banking Corp senior economist Satish Ranchhod. Workers' expectations for earnings growth rose 0.8 points to a net 29.6 per cent of respondents expecting higher wages and past earnings growth rose 0.5 points to a net 30.3 per cent.
The latest jobs data showed New Zealand's unemployment rate rose to 5.2 per cent in the three months ended December 31 from a revised 4.9 per cent in the September quarter as waves of migrants look for work.
