Jacinda
Ardern
Youth Affairs Spokesperson
Employment Spokesperson

3 November 2011
MEDIA STATEMENT
National still failing on jobs

Latest jobless figures show National is failing young people, women, Māori and Pasifika particularly, but almost every category of Kiwi is suffering because of the Government’s dismal record in creating jobs, says Labour’s Employment and Youth Affairs spokesperson Jacinda Ardern.

“National promised tens of thousands of jobs in 2010 and 2011,” Jacinda Ardern said. “Those promises are hollow up against unemployment figures which rose to 6.6 per cent this quarter, and make a mockery of National’s benefit changes which they say are designed to get Kiwis into work.

“Behind the statistics is a message that unemployment is continuing to have the biggest effect on our most vulnerable. While unemployment for young Kiwis aged 15 to 19 has gone down to 23.4 per cent, it has gone up for those aged 20 to 24. And we haven’t yet finished the tertiary education year when the number of young people entering the job market tends to surge

“The September quarter figures are particularly bad for women (up from 6.7 to 7 per cent unemployed, an increase of 4000), Māori (up 1.4 per cent to 15.1 per cent, a total of 24,200) and Pacific peoples (up 0.7 per cent to 13.8 per cent, a total of 13,800).

“Unemployment is up in regions like Northland, Waikato and Hawke’s Bay, and yet there is still no overall plan to grow the economy and create jobs. No wonder Kiwis are still flocking to Australia, where the unemployment rate is 5.2 per cent.

“National used the last budget to claim they would create 170,000 jobs, pointing to the Rugby World Cup as a source for job creation. This was always short-sighted, but, worse than that, our unemployment grew over this period,” Jacinda Ardern said.

“We won the cup, but that’s all unemployed Kiwis have to celebrate. They certainly haven’t got jobs, and they won’t get them under National’s failed policies.”

Authorised by Jacinda Ardern, Parliament Buildings, Wellington

© Scoop Media