Le’au Asenati Lole-Taylor
Spokesperson for Pacific Island Affairs

7 February 2014

Willing To Work but No Job Opportunities

Job openings for Pacific peoples remain low and the outlook for employment is dismal, says New Zealand First spokesperson for Pacific Island Affairs Le’aufa’amulia Asenati Lole-Taylor.

“The Government is crowing, saying there are more jobs, but that is a picture of false hope for Pacific people.

“According to the Household Labour Force Survey out this week, unemployment amongst Pacifika has dropped but it is still a whopping 13.7 cent.

“The response to unemployment is second-rate. Take the Christchurch rebuild for example. It was a gift for the Employment Minister Steven Joyce. He could have substantially increased employment for all New Zealanders and used it as a training ground to upskill workers.

“Instead, the post-quake city was teeming with foreign accents within the first few weeks, and many of the workers there today are in lower skilled occupations that Pacific peoples could have filled.

“We are caught in the trap of joblessness as the Government pushes corporate wealth instead of across-the-board job creation.

“To suggest that the present economic policies are helping businesses create jobs is false – a 6 per cent overall employment rate is still high.

“New Zealand First believes job creation is about the Government working closely with businesses and labour organisations. We suggest the present government gets on with its job of creating jobs for all New Zealanders,” says Mrs Lole-Tayor.

ENDS

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