The data released at the end of the American session yesterday, Tuesday, the second of February (February) from the New Zealand Bureau of Statistics showed an improvement in the New Zealand employment sector in the fourth and last quarter of last year 2020, where unemployment rates fell to 4.9 per cent compared to 5.3 per cent in the third quarter. To come in better than expectations that indicated a rise of 5.6 percent. The rate of participation in the workforce rose to 70.2 per cent compared to 70.1 per cent in the third quarter, and an increase in average hourly earnings to $ 34.14, an increase of about 4.2 per cent, thus raising wage rates by 1.4 per cent. This improvement in the employment sector in New Zealand reflects the effort made by the New Zealand government in controlling the outbreak of the Corona virus and returning the economy to the right track. Thus, expectations in the market rose that the Reserve Bank of New Zealand would resort to raising interest rates next year and reduced market expectations of any interest rate cut. In the coming period, where expectations were indicating an additional reduction in interest rates, and even some expectations turned to negative interest rates in the current year, given that the bank’s expectations for unemployment rates were at levels of 5.6 per cent. The next meeting of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand on the 24th of February, the markets will await any indication of the bank regarding its future expectations of interest rates in light of these results that came in the unemployment figures, especially with the continuous rise in the New Zealand dollar and its negative impact on the New Zealand economy. The New Zealand dollar rose after the data was announced by more than 70 points, to test 0.7221 levels against the US dollar in the Asian session, and is now trading at 0.7212 levels with the opening of the European markets.