WELLINGTON, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Median incomes from all income sources dropped for the first time in New Zealand since the statistics series began in 1998, due to the impact of COVID-19 on economy and employment, the country's statistics department Stats NZ said on Wednesday.
Median weekly incomes were lower in the June 2020 quarter than they were a year ago, down 7.6 percent to 652 NZ dollars (428 U.S. dollars) a week, in the wake of COVID-19, according to a Stats NZ statement.
The measure captures income from wages and salaries, government transfers, such as New Zealand Superannuation and Jobseeker Support, and self-employment, it said.
The median is the midpoint, meaning half of workers earned above this amount and half earned below. Stats NZ uses the median value because it is less influenced by very high or very low earners than a mean average, it said.
"A number of factors have contributed to this fall, such as people away from jobs without pay due to the COVID-19 pandemic and more people receiving government transfers," labor market statistics manager Andrew Neal said in a statement.
"More self-employed earners were seen in lower income brackets as well, with median weekly incomes down almost 100 NZ dollars a week," Neal said.
"People reporting the pandemic as their reason for being away from their jobs and not being paid were more likely to be from younger age groups, and the retail trade and accommodation industry," he said, adding both these groups tend to have lower incomes. Enditem
