Surprise over jobs in the public service rising, despite cuts planned by the Government.

Seasonally-adjusted Stats NZ data shows filled jobs rose 0.3 percent last month - and 0.7 percent for the past year.

The most jobs were in the public sector, with more than six-thousand jobs created in the year to May.

Infometrics Economist Rob Heyes says there's still plenty of work to do in the public sector, especially in health and education.

LISTEN ABOVE