Petrol prices had risen 27.5% in the same period.<\/p>\n
Olsen said the Bay of Plenty\u2019s employment rate had risen 2.2% since June 2025, which was 4100 roles. <\/p>\n
He said there was a larger sample error for regional unemployment results, making the Bay of Plenty\u2019s 5.8% unemployment rate in the \u201csame ballpark\u201d as the 5.4% unadjusted national unemployment rate<\/a>.<\/p>\n Hays recruitment agency senior regional director executive Adam Edwards said the unemployment rate dip was \u201cencouraging\u201d but did not signal a full labour market recovery.<\/p>\n \u201cThe improvement in the unemployment rate is likely being driven by a combination of factors rather than a significant surge in hiring.\u201d<\/p>\n Edwards said hiring activity <\/a>had become more \u201cconsistent\u201d, but employers were still cautious. <\/p>\n He said job seekers were competing for professional roles.<\/p>\n \u201cDemand remains strongest in sectors facing ongoing skills shortages, particularly healthcare, engineering, skilled trades, manufacturing and other technical professions.\u201d<\/p>\n He said experienced talent <\/a>was in short supply.<\/p>\n Tauranga Business Chamber chief executive Matt Cowley said the economy had adjusted to the fuel crisis and \u201cpositive times\u201d were ahead.<\/p>\n He said business leaders believed the Covid-19 recovery was over \u2013 \u201cnot because everything is great, but because we\u2019re in a new normal of regular disruption and uncertainty\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cMore opportunities opened up when university students returned to first semester.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve had steady demand for our free business clinic by people looking to start their own business, suggesting people aren\u2019t waiting for employment; they\u2019re looking to create their own future.\u201d<\/p>\n He said the Bay of Plenty region included areas with historically high deprivation.<\/p>\n \u201cPlus, the region\u2019s key economic drivers of construction and tourism are, at best, performing patchy.\u201d<\/p>\n Rotorua Business Chamber chief executive Melanie Short said businesses were struggling to find \u201cwork-ready staff\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m watching [the unemployment rate] closely to see if it\u2019s the start of a genuine turnaround.\u201d<\/p>\n Workers First Union is a union representing retail, finance, transport, logistics, manufacturing, and ambulance services.<\/p>\n Tauranga organiser Hayley Derry said the unemployment rate \u201cisn\u2019t matching what we\u2019re seeing on the ground yet\u201d.<\/p>\nInfometrics principal economist Brad Olsen. Photo \/ Anna Heath<\/p>\n
Tauranga Business Chamber chief executive Matt Cowley. Photo \/ Mead Norton<\/p>\n
Rotorua Business Chamber chief executive Melanie Short. Photo \/ Aleyna Martinez<\/p>\n