Alan McDonald: Employers and Manufacturers Association Advocacy Head on the unemployment rate dipping to 5.3% in the March quarter

Employers are remaining cautious as the Iran war continues to push up fuel prices and slow economic growth.  Unemployment dipped slightly to 5.3% in the March quarter.  Employers and Manufacturers Association Advocacy Head Alan McDonald says businesses he's talked to aren't yet looking to shed staff.  He told Mike Hosking that they can see it’s going to get better when the conflict ends, and they want those good people around to help the business get going again.  Auckland, Wellington, and Canterbury, are all facing a rising unemployment rate, and it’s surging in Bay of Plenty.  Auckland's rate climbed again to 6.6% and in Bay of Plenty it skyrocketed to 7.1%.  McDonald says both regions rely more on industries doing it tough, but those industries also tend to soak up more employees when they're doing well.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.