Employment confidence has bottomed-out

The Westpac-McDermott Miller index shows it's slipped to a level not seen since the post-2020 Covid lockdowns.

It's fallen in four of 11 regions -- including Auckland -- which dominated the national average.

EMA Head of Advocacy, Alan McDonald says business is still doing it hard -- directly impacting the ability to hire and expand.

He says more than 60-percent of firms let staff go, within the last year.