Unemployment may not have ticked up - but it could be some time before it tracks down

Stats NZ's revealed the unemployment rate remained at 5.1 percent in the three months ended March.

But where there was growth in part time employment, numbers of full-time workers fell by 45 thousand over the year.

NZ Institute of Economic Research Senior Economist, Ting Huang, says labour markets tend to lag behind broader economic activity.

She says demand's still pretty soft in the economy - so unemployment's likely to rise more in coming months.