Finding a job's set to get tougher before it gets easier.

Unemployment reached a near-decade high in the last three months of last year as job growth failed to keep up with the number of people moving to New Zealand.

Stats NZ data due out this morning is expected to show it remained steady or rose slightly in the first three months of this year.

BNZ Chief Economist Mike Jones told Ryan Bridge it's expected to keep rising.

He expects unemployment to peak at 5.8% at the end of this year.

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