Both the number of people in work and the unemployment rate have increased in the Hawke's Bay and Gisborne regions, according to the Household Labour Force Survey.
It lists more than 6100 people in jobs in the March quarter than for the December quarter, yet unemployment rose from 7 per cent to 8.5 per cent.
There were 101,700 employed and 9500 unemployed in the March quarter, compared with 95,600 employed and 7200 unemployed in the December quarter.
In the 2011 March quarter there were 800 fewer people in jobs and the unemployment rate was 7.9 per cent.
Hawke's Bay Chamber of Commerce CEO Murray Douglas said the figures reflected "a statistical blip, not a trend".
"The trend has been positive until this point and now we are seeing a blip in the statistics for a number of reasons," he said.
While the survey related only to people living permanently in Hawke's Bay, the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme of temporary overseas workers changed the dynamics for Hawke's Bay workers, he said.
"We've also seen weather conditions result in a late harvest which may affect the figures."
He said initiatives from Work and Income had resulted in more young people remaining in the region for training, but these people may be viewed as unemployed in the survey.
"I have seen cycles like this before and it doesn't reflect the business opinion surveys which show a positive shift towards employment intentions."
Nationally the unemployment rate is 6.7 per cent, up from 6.4 per cent in the December quarter and the number employed increased by 9000.
Manawatu/Wanganui has the highest unemployment at 8.9 per cent. Southland has the lowest rate at 4.4 per cent.