Hon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister of Finance): Today, Statistics New Zealand released the job figures for the March 2021 quarter. The data showed the unemployment rate dropped, again, to 4.7 percent, from 4.9 percent in December, with 5,000 fewer people classed as unemployed over the quarter. The unemployment rate is now the same as it was in September 2017. Stats New Zealand said the economy continued to add jobs at the start of the year, with people in employment up 15,000 over the March quarter from December. This meant people in employment is up by 32,000 since the September 2020 quarter and it highlights the strength of the economy under the Government's recovery and jobs plan. 