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Nothing bouncy or humorous about NZ's unemployment rate
Thursday, 15 November 2012, 2:38 pm
Press Release: Auckland Action Against Poverty
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Nothing bouncy or humorous about NZ's unemployment
rate
Four Auckland Action Against Poverty supporters,
including Sue Bradford, who locked on to the regional MSD
office in October will appear in the Auckland District Court
tomorrow, Friday the 16th of November at 10am pleading not
guilty to charges of willful trespass.
Their demonstration
was a call for decent job creation - not
intimidation.
“Auckland Action Against Poverty's
determination to highlight the serious need for decent job
creation – not intimidation, stands in strong contrast to
Paula Bennett who continues to see unemployment figures as
fodder for her attempts at comedy,” says Auckland Action
Against Poverty spokesperson Sarah Thompson.
“Judging by
Bennett’s flip and dismissive comment yesterday that the
job market is ‘bouncy’, she is not listening to the deep
concerns of the unemployed and under-employed that not
enough jobs are being created.
“Not only were her
comments inappropriate they were inaccurate – there is
nothing bouncy about the country’s unemployment rate –
it is only going one way; up.
“New Zealand's
unemployment rate is rising 1.5 times faster than the OECD
average. As Bennett would have it, based on her claims made
in parliament yesterday, we are suddenly putting in 1.5
times less effort looking for work than the rest of the
OECD.
“What research does Bennett have to back up her
implication that people are not looking for jobs? The same
research that shows that punitive sanctions will move people
into work?
“We need decent job creation now – not
Bennett relying on populist sentiment and stigma to account
for this Government's lack of effective
policy.”
ENDS
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