Today’s Household Labour Force Survey shows jobs disappearing under the new Labour/Alliance Government.

ACT Employment spokesman Dr Muriel Newman said that between December 1998 and March 1999 17,000 jobs were created. Today’s figures show that in the same period this year we have lost 6,000 full time equivalent jobs.

Dr Newman said the worrying trend follows other negative indicators like the plummeting business confidence shown in this week’s National Bank Business Outlook survey that are a result of the Government’s anti- business and employment policies.

“The only way to bring unemployment down and to ensure ‘participation’ in the workforce is to have Government policies that encourage and support businesses to grow and take on more staff.

“What we currently have is a Government that has hiked up tax rates, forced businesses back into a costly state run ACC scheme and is now going to let unions run their workforces. Employers also face the spectre of the Alliance’s paid parental leave and Labour’s wacky equal employment legislation to contend with.

“Having put employers under fire in this way, there is no way the Government can expect them to be creating jobs.

“These figures should act as a strong warning to this Government to start taking advice and re-think its anti-business policies,” said Muriel Newman.

ENDS

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