Employment

The workers say they each paid about $20,000 for their visas and jobs, but are now left in limbo.

There is anecdotal evidence that "non-parents feel pressure to pick up the slack" - like working over Christmas - when those with caring responsibilities are unavailable, experts say.

MBIE favoured a 2 percent increase, however, the government opted for 1.5 percent rise.

Laid-off public servants have been slogging it out on a months-long job hunt, and for some that will continue into 2025.

The job is leaving "almost everyone" who does it with post-traumatic stress disorder, a campaigner says.

That equated to nearly 20,000 jobs, economist Shamubeel Eaqub's data shows.

Some 190 workers - mostly migrants on work visas - are set to lose their jobs as Prolink NZ goes into liquidation.

Kiwifruit company Seeka is supporting 100 ni-Vanuatu fruit pickers helping with summer pruning to contact their families back home.

Removing the median wage requirement from the Accredited Employer Work Visa will make it much easier and affordable for businesses to fill skilled and unskilled roles, say employers.

The industrial and construction sectors drove last month's rise but conditions remain tough for those looking for a job.

It comes after what the union has described as a "difficult" bargaining process.

Thousands of employers have had to pay, or are still arranging to pay, billions of dollars in back pay due to problems with applying a law for years.