WELLINGTON: New Zealand employee confidence picked up in the first quarter, as strong economic growth made people more optimistic about finding and holding jobs and getting pay rises, a survey showed on Monday.
The Westpac-McDermott Miller employee confidence index rose to 108.5 in the three months to March 31 from 106.5 in the previous quarter.
A reading above 100 indicates more optimists than pessimists.
Confidence rose most in rural areas, reflecting a modest recovery in dairy prices after last year's sharp slide, while respondents were more optimistic about job security and the prospect of pay rises, and less pessimistic about the future job outlook.
New Zealand's unemployment rate rose to 5.7 percent in the fourth quarter from 5.4 percent in the previous quarter as growth in the workforce outstripped the number of jobs being created.
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