Reasons for not wanting to seek work for people who are not in the New Zealand labour force
By sex, excluding people who have not specified reasons, 2024 Q4, thousands of people
| Sex | Reason for not wanting to seek work | Thousands of people |
|---|---|---|
| Male | Retired | 266.8 |
| Male | Studying or training | 56.6 |
| Male | Don't need to work | 10.0 |
| Male | Own sickness / illness / injury / disability | 59.2 |
| Male | Looking after children | 8.6 |
| Male | Looking after others | 4.3 |
| Male | Other | 6.9 |
| Male | COVID-19 related reasons | None |
| Male | Not specified or wanting work | 110.2 |
| Female | Retired | 349.6 |
| Female | Studying or training | 58.4 |
| Female | Don't need to work | 20.7 |
| Female | Own sickness / illness / injury / disability | 60.5 |
| Female | Looking after children | 71.0 |
| Female | Looking after others | 15.2 |
| Female | Other | 4.6 |
| Female | COVID-19 related reasons | None |
| Female | Not specified or wanting work | 139.2 |
Definitions
Not in the labour force: any person in the working-age population who is neither employed nor unemployed. For example, this residual category includes people who:
- are retired
- have personal or family responsibilities such as unpaid housework and childcare
- attend educational institutions
- are permanently unable to work due to physical or mental disabilities
- were temporarily unavailable for work in the survey reference week
- are not actively seeking work.
For more information
Data provided by
Dataset name
Household Labour Force Survey: Not in Labour Force by Sex by Reason for Not Wanting Work (Quarterly) December 2024
Webpage:
https://infoshare.stats.govt.nz/
How to find the data
At URL provided, select 'Work income and spending > Household Labour Force Survey - HLF > Not in LF by Sex by Reason for Not Wanting Work (Qrtly-Mar/Jun/Sep/Dec)'. All variables were selected in order to create this dataset.
Import & extraction details
File as imported: Household Labour Force Survey: Not in Labour Force by Sex by Reason for Not Wanting Work (Quarterly) December 2024
From the dataset Household Labour Force Survey: Not in Labour Force by Sex by Reason for Not Wanting Work (Quarterly) December 2024, this data was extracted:
- Rows: 4-38
- Columns: 2-61
- Provided: 1,050 data points
This data forms the table Labour Force - Reason for not wanting to seek work for people not in labour force by sex 2016 Q2–2024 Q4.
Dataset originally released on:
February 05, 2025
Purpose of collection
The primary purpose of the survey is to estimate the number of people employed, unemployed, and not in the labour force (NILF), and from them, the unemployment rate for the New Zealand labour market. The Household Labour Force Survey (HLFS) is designed to produce statistics at the family level, and use of the survey for a purpose for which it was not designed is inevitably subject to some limitations.
Method of collection/Data provider
Respondents are asked for the reasons for not wanting work if they answer 'No' to all of the following questions:
- Whether they have a job
- Whether they are looking for work
- Whether they want to work.