A belief that Wellington's employment rates are at rock bottom

Latest data from Infometrics and Stats NZ show the region's lost almost six-thousand jobs and almost 180 businesses in the past year.

The Public Service Association forecasts nearly 10-thousand jobs have been lost in the sector, due to Government-ordered savings since the end of 2023.

Infometrics Principal Economist Nick Brunsdon says the capital's economic activity is slowly picking up, but employment isn't.

He says the challenge is there's so much spare capacity in the economy, that businesses can handle taking on more work without hiring more people.