Inactivity
International comparisons
Young people in New Zealand are slightly less likely to be inactive than those in other developed countries.
International comparisons of inactivity are difficult because of differences in data collection and differences in the categorisation of parents, other caregivers, part-time students, voluntary workers, those with chronic illnesses that prevent them from working, and those who are temporarily between jobs or who have recently returned from, or are about to leave for, overseas travel.
The OECD’s inactivity measure is simply “Neither in Employment nor in Education or Training (NEET)”, where education or training is formal education (part-time or full-time), and employment is paid employment (part-time or full-time). On this measure, 11 percent of young people aged 15 to 24 in New Zealand were NEET in 2006, just below the OECD average of 12 percent.(1)
Notes
1. OECD (2007), Jobs for Youth: New Zealand: see link at right.
