Legal professional employment is set to grow at nearly twice the rate of the national average at 4.1% annually between 2016-19, according to the latest forecast by MBIE.
The Short-Term Employment Forecasts: 2016-19 report predicts employment will grow at an average of 2.1% each year in the same period.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment figures state that 18,728 legal professionals are employed in New Zealand. That figure is projected to rise by 2,394 to 21,122 in 2019.
Employment forecasts "inform the Ministry's advice relating to immigration priorities, and priority setting for tertiary education and industry training".
New Zealand Law Society data shows that at 30 March 2016 12,966 lawyers held a current practising certificate, of whom 12,304 were based in New Zealand.