Pacific unemployment rise already affecting young jobseekers

Pacific unemployment has more than doubled in the past two years, reaching 12.3 per cent, the highest rate among all ethnic groups in New Zealand.

A youth employment worker Maryann Manu says the figures reflect what she is seeing among the young people she works with.

The unemployment rate for Māori is 11.2 per cent, while the national unemployment rate is 5.4 per cent.

The rise in Pacific unemployment is occurring even as the wider labour market continues to grow. New Zealand added about 15,000 jobs in the last three months of 2025.

Manu, a Youth Employment Navigator at Visionwest, works with young people aged between 15 and 24 who are looking for work or education opportunities.

Speaking with John Pulu on PMN Tonga, Manu says many young people are struggling with basic skills needed to enter the workforce.

Watch full interview with Maryann Manu on PMN Tonga's Facebook page.

“A lot of young people just lack social skills, confidence, communication skills, much more of the basics to get into employment,” she says.“We're finding a lot of young people just lack social skills and just the basics.”

She says some of the challenges trace back to disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected schooling and social development for many young people. As a result, programmes often focus on helping young people build those skills before they can even apply for jobs.

Manu says many young people lack the basic skills needed for work, so programmes often focus on helping them build CVs through voluntary work or further education such as NCEA Levels 1 to 3.

She says employment support for Pacific youth often goes beyond job preparation, and can involve holistic care.

Watch the full interview with Labour MP Jenny Salesa on Facebook.

“it's making sure that we provide and we empower them, and we're making sure that we're directing them in the decisions or the goals that they're wanting to achieve”

Economic pressures are also affecting the choices young people can make. Manu says many Pacific households are under strain as families deal with rising living costs and work commitments.

Labour MP Jenny Salesa says the unemployment figures come alongside other indicators showing Pacific families are under increasing pressure.

“It is really unacceptable that one in three Pacific children is living in material hardship,” Salesa says.

Watch full interview with Pacific Peoples Minister Shane Reti discussing uneployment.

Speaking with William Terite on Pacific Mornings, Salesa says the combination of job losses and rising costs is forcing many families to make difficult decisions.

“So many more people have lost their jobs,” Salesa says.

“So many of our people have moved overseas, voted with their feet to go overseas because they cannot see themselves actually finding a good job or being able to live in New Zealand and pay the rent.”

Salesa says the Government promised to address the cost of living and improve economic conditions but argues many Pacific families are still struggling.

Watch full interview with Save The Children NZ about impact of unemployment on Pacific families

“One of the reasons why a lot of people, I think, voted for this government is they campaigned that they will fix things, that they will address the cost of living,” she say. “Things are much harder for our people now.”

Despite the challenges, Manu says young people should still take opportunities when they arise.

“My advice would be to get any opportunity that is that comes before them my advice would be you start from the bottom ... the reality is you've got to start somewhere,” she says.

Manu says community organisations are available to help young people find pathways into employment or training.

For many Pacific families, she says, the goal is simply helping young people take the first step into work.