Since three months to June, unemployment figures have remained stubbornly high to 154,000, according to Statistics New Zealand's Household Labour Force Survey.

The above findings of the survey and the unchanged unemployment figures from the previous quarter have aroused tension for many as the official unemployment figures are primarily focusing on the jobless recovery in the economy.

The survey highlighted that despite opening of 1,000 new jobs in the quarter, the unemployment figures remained unchanged at 6.5% because the new openings were only enough to serve the rise in the numbers looking for work.

Also, the survey showed that in the June quarter, the employment figures increased for women but similarly decreased for men as well. Moreover, the fulltime employment figures also grew by 0.2%, while there was a 0.1% decrease in part-time employment.

Though more than forty-thousand jobs have been created over the past year in the region, the number of people out of work had fallen by approx 6000.

Regarding the situation, the Council of Trade Unions also remarked that the Government must do more to stimulate work and increase the jobs in the region.

"Although key labour market indicators remain flat when compared with the March 2011 quarter, annual changes in the number of unemployed and employed show a continued strengthening of the New Zealand labour market”, Industry and Labor Statistics Manager Diane Ramsay said in a statement.