FlexiTime NZ Payroll Statistics
Payroll statistics provide a unique insight into the current employment landscape in countries around the world. From time to time FlexiTime will release aggregated data from our customer base that shows trends and changes happening in small business workplaces across New Zealand.
COVID-19 Payroll Statistics
The impact of the COVID-19 crisis on workplaces has been significant. From 26 March to 28 April 2020 the majority of New Zealand businesses were shut down completely during Alert Level 4.
As we move between the alert levels and gradual easing of restrictions on workplaces we’re providing regular payroll statistics to help track the real impact of COVID-19 on New Zealand businesses and employees.
Our analysis is focused on a sample of more than 23,000 employees paid weekly, with these regular workers likely to see the biggest impact from COVID-19.
We’re tracking the following statistics for weekly employees only:
- Average weekly gross payroll
The total weekly cost of payroll to the business, before tax and other deductions. - Average weekly earnings
An employee’s total weekly earnings, before tax and other deductions.
Weekly payroll statistics typically reflect wage data from the previous week. So the impact of moving to Alert Level 4 at 11.59pm on March 25th was seen in payroll figures for the week ending April 4th.
FlexiTime specialises in payroll for companies with part time and casual employees, including hospitality and tourism - sectors hit particularly hard by the pandemic.
For any questions about these statistics, please contact Jake Harvey, CMO - jake@flexitime.works.
Week ending June 20th
COVID-19 and the latest wage trends
This is what FlexiTime’s weekly payroll data looked like in the seven days to 20 June 2020.
- Average weekly gross payroll: $9,803 ( 2.4% from previous week)
![FlexiTime NZ COVID-19 Payroll Stats | Average Weekly Gross Payroll]( "FlexiTime NZ COVID-19 Payroll Stats | Average Weekly Gross Payroll")
- Average weekly earnings: $893.83 ( 3.0% from previous week)
![FlexiTime NZ COVID-19 Payroll Stats | Average Weekly Earnings]( "FlexiTime NZ COVID-19 Payroll Stats | Average Weekly Earnings")
"This week's figures cover the move to Alert Level 1 at midnight on June 8th. It's great to see that average weekly earnings are pretty much back where they started, at 98.7% of our pre-COVID baseline. Average weekly gross payroll is at 98.2% of pre-COVID levels, indicating that companies in our sample are paying nearly as many employees now as they were in mid-March."
Robert Owen
CEO
Week ending June 13th
COVID-19 and the latest wage trends
This is what FlexiTime’s weekly payroll data looked like in the seven days to 13 June 2020.
- Average weekly gross payroll: $9,572 ( 1.8% from previous week)
- Average weekly earnings: $868.09 ( 0.7% from previous week)
"Not much to report this week, with a very small decrease in both the figures we're tracking."
Robert Owen
CEO
Week ending June 6th
COVID-19 and the latest wage trends
This is what FlexiTime’s weekly payroll data looked like in the seven days to 6 June 2020.
- Average weekly gross payroll: $9,750 ( 1.4% from previous week)
- Average weekly earnings: $874.02 ( 0.2% from previous week)
"While we moved to Alert Level 1 on Monday night, this week's stats still reflect earnings during Level 2. Very little change to report with average weekly earnings and gross payroll costs stabilising after a couple of weeks of steady increases."
Robert Owen
CEO
Week ending May 30th
COVID-19 and the latest wage trends
This is what FlexiTime’s weekly payroll data looked like in the seven days to 30 May 2020.
- Average weekly gross payroll: $9,611 ( 3.5% from previous week)
- Average weekly earnings: $872.42 ( 4.0% from previous week)
"More positive news as average weekly earnings increased by 4%, bringing them to 96.3% of pre-COVID levels."
Robert Owen
CEO
Week ending May 23rd
COVID-19 and the latest wage trends
This is what FlexiTime’s weekly payroll data looked like in the seven days to 23 May 2020.
- Average weekly gross payroll: $9,274 ( 3.9% from previous week)
- Average weekly earnings: $837.24 ( 3.5% from previous week)
"Average weekly gross payroll and average weekly earnings are both up again, with this week's figures reflecting the move to Alert Level 2. Average weekly earnings are now at 92% of pre-COVID levels."
Robert Owen
CEO
Week ending May 16th
COVID-19 and the latest wage trends
This is what FlexiTime’s weekly payroll data looked like in the seven days to 16 May 2020.
- Average weekly gross payroll: $8,930 ( 0.5% from previous week)
- Average weekly earnings: $808.70 ( 1.4% from previous week)
"We moved to Alert Level 2 on Thursday May 14th, but this week's payroll figures reflect hours worked by employees during the previous week - while the country was still at Alert Level 3. The impact of the move to Alert Level 2 on next week's figures will be interesting."
Robert Owen
CEO
Week ending May 9th
COVID-19 and the latest wage trends
Media Release:
12 May - FlexiTime reports average weekly earnings rise significantly for employees in Level 3
This is what FlexiTime’s weekly payroll data looked like in the seven days to 9 May 2020.
- Average weekly gross payroll: $8,883 ( 7.2% from previous week)
- Average weekly earnings: $797.60 ( 7.7% from previous week)
"It's great to see a significant increase in average weekly earnings as a result of moving to Alert Level 3. We saw some industries, like trades, go from full lockdown to being able to work almost as normal. Other industries like hospitality and retail were able to get some employees back to work in a more limited way, by offering click and collect or delivery services. Hopefully this is a trend that we'll see continue in the coming weeks."
Robert Owen
CEO
Week ending May 2nd
COVID-19 and the latest wage trends
This is what FlexiTime’s weekly payroll data looked like in the seven days to 2 May 2020.
- Average weekly gross payroll: $8,287 ( 0.7% from previous week)
- Average weekly earnings: $740.25 ( 0.5% from previous week)
"Very little change this week. We moved back to Alert Level 3 on Tuesday, meaning a lot more businesses are able to operate more freely. Hours worked since the move to Alert Level 3 will be paid next week and any impact from the easing of restrictions should be seen in next week’s figures."
Robert Owen
CEO
Week ending April 25th
COVID-19 and the latest wage trends
This is what FlexiTime’s weekly payroll data looked like in the seven days to 25 April 2020.
- Average weekly gross payroll: $8,345 ( 2.9% from previous week)
- Average weekly earnings: $744.06 ( 1.2% from previous week)
"We’ve seen a slight increase in both average weekly gross payroll and average weekly earnings. This indicates that a number of employees who have not been paid for several weeks are back at work and essential services employees are working a few more hours a week on average."
Robert Owen
CEO
Week ending April 18th
COVID-19 and the latest wage trends
This is what FlexiTime’s weekly payroll data looked like in the seven days to 18 April 2020.
- Average weekly gross payroll: $8,113 ( 1.3% from previous week)
- Average weekly earnings: $735.51 ( 2.5% from previous week)
"It appears things have stabilised a bit this week after the upheaval of the past fortnight. We’ve seen a smaller decrease in average weekly earnings this week, but in total employees are now earning an average of 23.1% less than they were in mid-March."
Robert Owen
CEO
Week ending April 11th
COVID-19 and the latest wage trends
Media Release:
15 April - FlexiTime payroll data reveals drop in wages across NZ due to COVID-19
This is what FlexiTime’s weekly payroll data looked like in the seven days to 11 April 2020.
- Average weekly gross payroll: $8,220 ( 2.9% from previous week)
- Average weekly earnings: $754.36 ( 4.0% from previous week)
"This week the requirement for wage subsidy recipients to pay employees at least 80% of their usual rate was changed to a recommendation. Some businesses that are unable to top up the wage subsidy while receiving no revenue are now paying employees the wage subsidy only, leading to a further 4% drop in average weekly earnings per employee."
Robert Owen
CEO
Week ending April 4th
COVID-19 and the latest wage trends
This is what FlexiTime’s weekly payroll data looked like in the seven days to 4 April 2020.
- Average weekly gross payroll: $8,465 ( 14.6% from previous week)
- Average weekly earnings: $785.81 ( 12.7% from previous week)
"As expected the move to Alert Level 4 and subsequent closure of many businesses has led to a sharp drop in average earnings per employee and the total cost of payroll for businesses. It is clear from the volume of support queries we’re receiving that many businesses have applied for the wage subsidy and are paying their employees a reduced rate while their business is closed."
Robert Owen
CEO
Week ending March 28th
COVID-19 and the latest wage trends
This is what FlexiTime’s weekly payroll data looked like in the seven days to 28 March 2020.
- Average weekly gross payroll: $9,917 ( 1.1% from previous week)
- Average weekly earnings: $900.27 ( 0.1% from previous week)
"New Zealand moved to Alert Level 3 and then on to Alert Level 4 this week, which will have a major impact on businesses and employees. These numbers are based on hours worked last week before the lockdown began, so we expect to see a significant drop in next week’s figures."
Robert Owen
CEO
Week ending March March 21st
COVID-19 and the latest wage trends
This is what FlexiTime’s weekly payroll data looked like in the seven days to 21 March 2020.
- Average weekly gross payroll: $10,024 ( 0.4% from previous week)
- Average weekly earnings: $899.33 ( 0.7% from previous week)
"Very little change this week. The government has announced a wage subsidy to support New Zealanders and protect their jobs from the impact of COVID-19."
Robert Owen
CEO
Week ending March 14th
COVID-19 and the latest wage trends
This is what FlexiTime’s weekly payroll data looked like in the seven days to 14 March 2020.
- Average weekly gross payroll: $9,986
- Average weekly earnings: $905.50
"These are our baseline numbers for understanding the impact of COVID-19. While there’s always a bit of variation from week to week due to employees that work irregular hours, the figures are pretty consistent for the week ending January 11th to the week ending March 14th."
Robert Owen
CEO